A Salt Lake County father has been arrested after allegedly attempting to kill himself and his disabled adult son following a fight with his wife. Police say that the suicide attempt happened on Christmas Day and the man has been booked on attempted murder charges.
“He was feeling overwhelmed,” the arresting police officer noted. “He said he is the primary caretaker for his son, who has cerebral palsy. The father said he wanted to die and didn’t want to burden anyone else with his son’s care.”
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the man allegedly ground up Trazodone and mixed it with NyQuil. The mixture did not have its intended effect and the 57-year-old man ultimately brought himself and his son to the hospital for treatment.
“The father said he wanted both of them to die,” the arresting officer noted. “He said the medication didn’t work. He said he has a gun but didn’t want to use the gun because he said it was too messy.”
This is a situation in which the officer was able to obtain a full confession from the man after advising him of his right to remain silent. This is common in situations in which an otherwise law-abiding citizen finds themselves in trouble for the first time.
Unfortunately there is often little to gain from speaking to police officers after being Mirandized and it is typically advisable to not make any statements until after speaking with a criminal defense attorney. The man’s confession may ultimately prevent him from being able to obtain a reasonable plea deal that will keep him out of jail.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune, “Salt Lake County father allegedly tried to kill self, disabled son,” Bob Mims, Dec. 28, 2012