22-year-old man charged with murder of his mother in their Avon, Massachusetts home

By Penny Kmitt

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A 22-year-old man is now charged with killing his mother in their home in Avon, Massachusetts.

Thadeus Joseph was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday in Stoughton District Court in the death of 53-year-old Astrid Joseph.

Victim found dead in home

Police went to the family’s home on Nichols Avenue Tuesday afternoon after getting a 911 call from “a household member about an unresponsive female in need of medical assistance,” according to a statement from Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey.

Astrid Joseph was “on the floor of the home with visible injuries and there were signs of a struggle,” according to Morrissey, who said she was dead.

“With information developed by the state police detectives assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office and Avon police, a suspect was identified and apprehended with the help of Braintree police,” the district attorney said in his statement.

The suspect, later identified as Joseph’s son Thadeus, was captured around 8 p.m., about four hours after police were called to the house.

Son allegedly admitted to killing mother

Prosecutors said Thadeus Joseph was acting erratically during booking and admitted to killing his mother, allegedly telling police, “This is so funny, all I had to do was kill my mom and then this is it.”

According to prosecutors, Thadeus Joseph told his parents on Saturday he was experiencing anxiety and having thoughts of self-harm. On Tuesday, he took a mental health day from work. At around 10 a.m., Astrid Joseph allegedly called her husband, who could hear the two arguing.

“He heard the defendant say, ‘I have your phone.’ He then heard his wife respond, saying, ‘I’m your mother, give me the phone.’ The phone then disconnected,” said the prosecutor in court.

Astrid Joseph’s husband allegedly raced home and found his wife’s body lying on the kitchen floor and the family car gone. Thadeus Joseph, who recently graduated from UMass Lowell, was found a few hours later at Boston’s South Shore Plaza and taken into custody.

Richard Gedeon, a family friend who attended the hearing, said he didn’t want to comment on what was going on.

Thadeus Joseph is being held without bail, which his attorney did not argue against, adding that he had experienced some recent mental health and family issues. He’s due back in court on April 10.

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