Thedailymiaminews– A Pennsylvania man is incarcerated for allegedly killing his mother, who was bedridden and dependent on an oxygen machine.
According to court documents, 40-year-old Chad Walburn was charged by prosecutors this week with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother, Phyllis Elaine Walburn, 63, in October. According to her obituary, the older Walburn passed away on October 31 at a hospital in Erie “after many years of health issues.” But police considered her death to be a homicide.
A probable cause arrest affidavit that the Erie Times-News was able to get states that on October 23, the Erie Police Department received a report regarding a man who was refusing to leave a residence. Officers discovered Chad Walburn, the unwanted visitor, inside his mother’s house. She was found unconscious and drenched in her bed by police, according to reports. Her neck was discolored, and it seemed like someone had removed her oxygen line from her nose. Police said that the equipment was unplugged and turned off.
Chad Walburn allegedly acknowledged removing his mother’s oxygen tube, shutting it off, and removing the plug after Miranda. According to the complaint, he then showered her with water from other containers, including a small garbage can. Chad Walburn allegedly stated that his mother needs to die when asked why he did this. After being taken to the hospital by paramedics, she passed away eight days later.
According to the Times-News, the Erie County Coroner declared her death to be a homicide. In the days following the event, Walburn was charged with aggravated assault. According to the newspaper, however, the coroner’s subsequent inquiry revealed that respiratory failure brought on by the deliberate removal of oxygen was the cause of death.
On Friday, Walburn was charged with murder and arraigned.
Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah told local ABC/Fox affiliate WJET, “There were 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.” “At this time, the official coroner’s report is out, listing it as a homicide, and those charges were obviously filed after consulting with the district attorney’s office.”