West Whiteland Man Charged With Murder For Neglecting Elderly Father
By Jim Melwert
WEST WHITELAND, Pa. (CBS) -- A 61-year-old West Chester man is facing murder charges in the 2013 death of his father. Investigators allege he let the 92-year-old veteran of World-War II die from neglect.
Edward O'Brien, Junior was found dead inside his son's West Whiteland home, covered in feces and bed-sores, 50-pounds lighter than his original weight. Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says that son, Edward O'Brien III, checked his father out of acute care, and for two years, deprived him of medical care and medication.
"This is a tragedy," he says. "This man was a veteran, this man was somebody who had been healthy, and he died of neglect because his son didn't care."
Hogan says the father could have received treatment through the Veteran's Administration or through a county home. He says he basically drowned in his own fluids as he wasn't given prescription medication to prevent build-up in his lungs.
Hogan says O'Brien also funneled 30,000 dollars from his father accounts.
O'Brien is charged with third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and theft.