Man fatally stabs father during Zoom chat in New York

NEW YORK: A gruesome murder occurred in a New York suburb after a man stabbed and killed his father who was attending a Zoom conference that included about 20 participants.

Dwight Powers, aged 72, was participating in an online meeting via Zoom video chat platform at  noon on Thursday when his son, Thomas Scully-Powers, emerged and began beating him, police in Long Island’s Suffolk County said.

Police said several participants in the virtual chat called emergency authorities as the horrific events unfolded. After his arrest, the son told police he stabbed his father approximately 15 times in the back, neck and torso and also switched knives.

The county medical examiner said Powers sustained multiple stab wounds to his chest and back with one slash across his neck nearly decapitating him. The murder took place in the town of Amityville, located approximately 40 miles east of Manhattan.

READ MORE: Man sentenced to death via Zoom call in Singapore

“This is a shocking and disturbing case,” Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement.”By the defendant’s own admissions, he brutally stabbed his own father repeatedly until he was certain he was dead.”

When officers arrived at the scene, 32-year-old Scully-Powers jumped from a second-story window, police said, attempting to flee on foot. He ran to a nearby eatery and allegedly began pouring soda on himself in a bid to wash off the blood before he was apprehended.

The suspect was briefly hospitalised for minor injuries sustained from his leap out the window. He was released from the hospital on Friday and arraigned on second-degree murder charges.

READ MORE: Zoom agrees to step up security after probe

Prosecutors did not provide details about a possible motive. The man’s lawyer entered a plea of not guilty. He is due back in court on May 26 and until then is detained without bail.

If convicted, he faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. He has had previous brushes with the law, with charges of reckless endangerment, drug possession and criminal mischief.

The murder appeared to be the first carried out on Zoom, which has boomed in popularity since confinement measures forced people to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many US state and local governments have issued stay-at-home orders and interviews and meetings on Zoom have exploded in use for business, school and socialising.