A 60-year-old who killed his 93-year-old father by luring him into a trap and then beating him with an iron bar has been sentenced to life in prison for this particularly heinous murder. The assassin had even started to dig a grave to hide the body.
Giuseppe Calabrese, 66, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder Friday at the Montreal courthouse. He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 18 years following a joint suggestion by the parties. He had a history of mental health.
Even at the age of 93, Gennaro Calabrese still cared for his wife suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s on a daily basis in their accommodation in the Ville-Émard district of Montreal. A social worker came to see them every Monday. It was she who made the terrible discovery on the morning of November 16, 2020.
The murder of the patriarch is of great violence. That evening, Giuseppe Calabrese arrives at his father’s house with an iron bar, a weapon “more effective than a knife”, according to him. He then lures his father to the basement by tricking him into thinking he wants some boots there.
The son then takes advantage of his father’s vulnerable position on the stairs to hit him on the head with his iron bar, hidden under his sweater. He then goes after the body of the nonagenarian, giving him ten blows. He would later tell the police that his father’s moans “sickened” him.
Giuseppe Calabrese abandons his father’s body to watch television. Early the next morning, he fetches a shovel, digs in the dirt for two minutes to make a grave, but ends up abandoning his plan. He goes to eat at the restaurant, then leaves his shoes and clothes in two Renaissance stores. He was arrested the same evening.
Full confessions
To the police, Giuseppe Calabrese made a full confession. He explained that he was insulted in Italian by his father a few days before the murder and that he “ruminated” over this insult. The killer said that his father had destroyed his life and that he now felt “free” since his death.
In recent years, Giuseppe Calabrese has already been found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. But in this case, he was found responsible. According to a psychiatrist, the defendant has a mood disorder and it is “probable” that certain symptoms appeared in the “period surrounding the murder”.
Me Simon Lapierre represents the public ministry, while Me Marie-Hélène Giroux defended the accused.