A Pennsylvania mom has been sentenced to life behind bars after she murdered her 11-year-old by strangling him with a belt while he slept.
Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, 51, was found guilty of first degree murder earlier this week for the killing of her son Matthew Whitehead, 11, in their home last April.
Police were called to the home in Horsham after Matthew’s father had found him dead, with DiRienzo-Whitehead driving their SUV onto the beach at the Jersey Shore after killing the boy.
Images show the SUV left partially submerged in the water, with a criminal complaint revealing that officers found a black men’s dress belt on the floor of the vehicle.
Police then found DiRienzo-Whitehead wandering the streets before she was taken into custody.
6abc reported that she confessed and told police she didn’t want her son to grow up with their family’s financial problems, deciding to strangle him with a belt as he slept.
Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, seen here, was found guilty of first degree murder earlier this week for the killing of her son Matthew Whitehead in their home last April
Police were called to the home in Horsham after Matthew’s father had found him dead, with DiRienzo-Whitehead later found after driving their SUV onto the beach at the Jersey Shore.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, DiRienzo-Whitehead told officers that Matthew had been crying ‘off and on all day over the family’s financial difficulties’.
The boy’s father, Daniel Whitehead, had been sleeping in another room at the time, which he told authorities wasn’t out of the ordinary.
Testifying through tears on Monday, Whitehead told the court: ‘I saw him laying on the bed face down. I screamed. He was a great boy. He was always happy.’
Delco Times reported that Whitehead also repeatedly referred to his wife of 13 years as ‘the defendant’ and glared at her as he was asked to identify her for the record.
DiRienzo-Whitehead’s lawyers argued she strangled her son because she was having a psychotic break due to financial concerns and family issues, and felt she was sparing her son a painful life.
A defense expert testified DiRienzo-Whitehead was suffering from depression and mental illness at the time.
Montgomery County prosecutors argued the killing was premeditated, saying she had made numerous online searches on how to strangle someone and did research on mental illnesses that lead women to kill their own children.
They also said DiRienzo-Whitehead, who worked as a realtor, blamed her husband for the family’s financial issues and was motivated to kill by a mix of anger and revenge.
A defense expert testified DiRienzo-Whitehead was suffering from depression and mental illness at the time
Montgomery County prosecutors argued the killing was premeditated, saying she had made numerous online searches on how to strangle someone
The boy’s father, Daniel Whitehead, had been sleeping in another room at the time, which he told authorities wasn’t out of the ordinary. The two are seen here
Delco Times reported that DiRienzo-Whitehead had been sole caretaker for her mother, who suffered from dementia, and was stressed about having to sell her family home.
Whitehead testified his wife was ‘upset’ and ‘wasn’t happy’ about having to sell the home that had been in her family for decades.
While delivering the guilty verdict on Thursday, a judge refused to find mental illness as a defense.
On Friday, prosecutors successfully argued that DiRienzo-Whitehead knew killing her son was wrong and that she acted out of revenge and not mental illness.
Footage of her being taken from the court in shackles shows the mom turning to reporters, saying: ‘I’m heartbroken.’
NBC Philadelphia reported that DiRienzo-Whitehead had always maintained her silence before this week.
On Friday, she admitted she took her son’s future away from him and asked for forgiveness, telling the court only ‘a monster would do something like this’.
The outlet reported that she also said she knows the life her son should have had and she was proud of him.
The SUV was left partially submerged while officers picked up DiRienzo-Whitehead who was found wandering and taking her into custody
Matthew was a sixth-grade student at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, which he had attended since kindergarten
The Pottstown Mercury reported that Whitehead sobbed in court on Friday, saying: ‘Matthew was a gift from God, touched so many people. I would have done anything for him.
‘He was so happy to make his parents proud. His future was limitless. I will miss him forever.’
Matthew was a sixth-grade student at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, which he had attended since kindergarten.
The private school said in a statement: ‘Matthew was an extraordinary child with a smile as bright as the sun.
‘We loved him, and we will forever mourn his loss, a devastating tragedy for our community, his family, his friends, and our world.
‘We will do everything in our power to carry his memory forward, to honor him as he so truly deserves, and to live our lives well as a tribute to him.
‘Matthew is the embodiment of love, promise, and goodness, and we will never, ever forget him.’
Defense lawyer Eugene Tinari has vowed to appeal the conviction.
