WASHINGTON, Feb 17, (Agencies): A mother from Pennsylvania has been found guilty of murdering her 11-year-old son by strangling him to death, allegedly to spare him from a life of financial difficulties. Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead was convicted of first-degree murder after her son Matthew Whitehead’s lifeless body was discovered in their Horsham home in April 2023, according to a statement from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Despite an insanity defense presented by her attorneys, a judge rejected it, ultimately sentencing DiRienzo-Whitehead to life in prison on Friday. Following her arrest, she revealed to the police that the family was grappling with financial challenges. DiRienzo-Whitehead expressed her desire to shield her son from a future burdened by these difficulties and admitted to strangling him with a belt as he slept.
Matthew’s father called 911 when he noticed the locked primary bedroom door and the absence of the family’s Toyota Highlander. Police discovered Matthew’s lifeless body in the bedroom, where he had fallen asleep with his mother. The boy exhibited ligature marks on both the front and rear of his neck, along with a swollen face and petechiae in his eyes, as reported by authorities.
In a disturbing turn of events, the missing SUV was found in Cape May, N.J., submerged in the ocean after DiRienzo-Whitehead drove it there. She was located walking approximately six miles north of the abandoned vehicle, and authorities found a belt on the driver’s side floor of the SUV.
After the verdict, DiRienzo-Whitehead’s attorney, Eugene Tinari, expressed disappointment with the outcome of the case.
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