A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to hitting a chiropractor in the head and killing him because he didn't treat his severe jaw pain.
Joseph O'Boyle, 23, will face charges of criminal murder, criminal trespassing, and possession of a criminal instrument in the coming months.
He also admitted to beating a detective investigating the chiropractor's death on two counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment of another person, resisting arrest, and simple assault.
Dr. James Sowa, 64, was discovered dead inside his house and chiropractic practice in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, some 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia, on November 2, 2021.
O'Boyle had been a patient of Sowa's for two months, according to his relatives, and blamed the chiropractor for increasing his jaw problems.
On the morning of the murder, surveillance video showed O'Boyle walking up to Sowa's office without an appointment and spending only one minute inside before leaving the area.
Authorities say O'Boyle hit Sowa three times in the back of the head, shattering his skull. While Sowa remained on the ground, O'Boyle repeatedly attacked his jaw region with a blunt weapon.
O'Boyle's father questioned him about Sowa's death after the incident, according to Fox News. The 23-year-old became agitated and began massaging his jaw.
O'Boyle later admitted to killing Sowa to his father.
Eight days after the death, investigators sought a search warrant for O'Boyle's home. O'Boyle then lunged at a detective and repeatedly punched him in the head.
On June 6, O'Boyle is due back in court for a hearing to determine the level of homicide. Later, a sentence hearing will be held.
The defendant escaped in a white Nissan Altima, which was tracked back to O'Boyle's mother. A search warrant was obtained for the O'Boyle residence.
When the defendant attempted to serve the warrant, he charged Detective David Nieves of Bensalem, striking him in the head repeatedly until he was hauled away by other officers.
In connection with the punching incident on Friday, O'Boyle also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and simple assault. On the other hand, the pleas were made as open pleas, not as part of a plea bargain or a deal for a reduced sentence.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, O'Boyle agreed to kill Sowa but maintained that the level of homicide for which he should be sentenced was too low.
Because he also broke into the doctor's office and apartment that day, prosecutors argue that the accusation should be murder in the first degree or, at the very least, murder in the second degree.
Both of these scenarios would result in mandatory life sentences in prison. On the other hand, the defense claims that he did not enter Sowa's home office and is arguing for third-degree murder.
Public Defender Joseph Haag stated that his client suffers from schizophrenia during the plea hearing. According to court records, he stopped taking his medicine three months before Sowa was killed. Law & Crime (via MSN) reported that a sentencing hearing has been set for June 6.
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