John Jefferson
Chad Walburn (WJET/Erie County Prison).
A Pennsylvania man is behind bars after he allegedly killed his bedridden and oxygen machine-dependent mother.
Court records show prosecutors last week charged 40-year-old Chad Walburn with first-degree murder in the October death of his mother Phyllis Elaine Walburn, 63. The elder Walburn died at an Erie hospital on Oct. 31 “after many years of health issues,” her obituary said. But cops deemed her death a murder.
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According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by the Erie Times-News, the Erie Police Department responded to a call about a man who refused to leave a home on Oct. 23. When officers arrived, they found the unwelcomed guest, Chad Walburn, inside his mother’s home. Cops reportedly found her unconscious and soaking wet in her bed. She had discoloration on her neck and it appeared someone had taken her oxygen tube off her nose. The machine was turned off and unplugged, cops noted.
Post-Miranda, Chad Walburn allegedly admitted to taking his mom’s oxygen tube away from her, turning it off and pulling the plug. He then poured a large amount of water on her from several containers, including a small garbage can, the affidavit reportedly said. Asked why he did such a thing, Chad Walburn allegedly said his mother needed to die. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital where she died eight days later.
The Erie County Coroner classified her death as a homicide, the Times-News reported. Walburn was charged with aggravated assault in the days after the incident. But after further investigation, the coroner determined the cause of death was respiratory failure due to the intentional withdrawal of oxygen, according to the newspaper. Walburn was arraigned on the murder charge on Friday.
He remains at the Erie County Prison without bond.
“There was a lot of moving parts to this investigation so we just wanted to make sure that everything aligned with obviously the coroner’s report and our detectives’ investigation,” Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah told local ABC/Fox affiliate WJET. “At this point in time, the official coroner’s report is out listing it as a homicide and after conferring with the district attorney’s office, obviously, those charges were then filed.”
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