A Chester County man stole $30,000 from his elderly father, who "literally drowned in his own bodily fluids" as his son left the Army veteran unattended for two years in a room in a room in his home, the district attorney said.
Sixty-one-year-old Edward O'Brien III, of West Chester, faces multiple charges, including 3rd degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and theft, for the 2013 death of his dad, Edward O'Brien, Jr., according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
"This is a death without dignity," Hogan said.
The elder O'Brien was rehabbing from a fall in an acute care facility in 2011 when his son pulled the then 90-year-old man out of the center, claiming he could no longer afford the medical expenses, Hogan said.
Initially he left his father, who needed around-the-clock care, in the dad's Collingswood, New Jersey home, authorities said. Police discovered he was not receiving the necessary medical attention during a well-being check on May 30, 2011, and subsequently informed his son they would report the matter to Adult Protective Services, the investigation shows.
At that point, O'Brien brought his father to his West Whiteland Township home, police said.
"Then his son essentially put him in a room and left him in the room for two years," he said. "No doctor, no prescription medication until his father essentially rotted to death."
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
He weighed only 130 pounds when he died, down from 187 pounds -- what he weighed when he was released from acute care in 2011, according to the DA's Office.
"He died with bedsores all over him. He died with feces all over him," he continued. "He literally drowned in his own bodily fluids because he did not have prescription medication."
The elderly man could have received medical assistance through services available to veterans and his pension, earned from his years working as a U.S. Postal service employee, could have been used to pay for his care, Hogan said.
"We have a lot of resources. You're talking about a place like Chester County. There is no excuse for anybody not being cared for," he explained.
While his father lay dying in a room in his home, the son also siphoned tens of thousands of dollars from him, the DA said. "...[The] defendant, using a power of attorney, transferred $30,000 from the victim's bank account into accounts controlled by the defendant," the DA's office said.
It was not immediately clear if O'Brien had retained an attorney.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
