Son accused of murder after 'baptising dad' to 'exorcise demons'

A 19-year-old man charged with his father's murder, said he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism.

Jack Callahan, 19, from Duxbury, Massachusetts, was charged with killing his 57-year-old father, Scott Callahan, whose body was recovered from a river early on Monday.

Callahan has been held without bail, a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf at his arraignment.

According to CBS, Callahan picked his father up from a bar in Boston on Sunday night, the two took an Uber to Island Creek Pond near their home in Duxbery.

Callahan was reportedly trying to help his father, who had left a treatment centre, getting help for alcohol abuse, Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham said in court.

The son dunked his father’s head under water several times until he stopped struggling, the prosecutor said, according to the Associated Press.

Buckingham said Callahan said he was holding his father in the pond on his back "like a baby" and was continually dunking his father's head in the water.

"When the father started to cough and choke, he would lift his head up and then when the father started to fight and strike him, he pushed the head back down into the water," Buckingham told the court.

“The defendant indicated to officers that he made statements to the victim at this time, stating, ‘I left him there to decide, you can come to heaven with me or hell. I think he chose hell.’”

Son saw 'demon' in father's eyes

According to a statement released by Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz, Callahan claimed he began submerging his father in the water because he was "baptising" him.

Callahan allegedly claimed he saw the "demon" in his eyes.

At around 2am on Monday, Duxbury Police received a call saying Callahan was acting "erratically" and that his father was missing.

"Police responded to a Sampson Street residence and found Jack Callahan distraught and hyperventilating," Mr Cruz's statement says.

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Police and fire personnel responded to Island Creek Park and found Scott Callahan submerged in water.

Emergency services performed life-saving measures and Scott Callahan was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Chief Medical Examiner is determining the cause of death, however preliminary reports show the father had water-logged lungs, broken capillaries in his eyes and an abrasion on his head.

Callahan's attorney Kevin Reddington said his client is a "very nice young man" with no criminal record, though he said Callahan was suffering from a mental health issue.

The judged denied sending Callahan for a competency evaluation and he will appear in court in August.

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