Police: Md. Teen Confessed He Killed Grandparents
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A 19-year-old man accused of killing his grandparents in the western Maryland home they shared acknowledged stabbing them with a knife before fleeing 200 miles in their car, according to court records released Friday.
His mother told police that Joseph William Minoglio, of Keedysville, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, according to charging documents filed in Washington County District Court. She said he had been acting strangely since his medication was recently changed.
His father described Minoglio in other court records as a drug addict who had threatened to harm family members.
Minoglio surrendered to police in Virginia hours after the bodies were found last Saturday night. Authorities said they found the blood-stained knife in the dishwasher.
Defense attorney David Harbin declined to comment on his client's background or the charges -- two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault.
"Regarding the allegations and Mr. Minoglio's background, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time," Harbin wrote in an email.
Washington County authorities were awaiting Minoglio's return to Maryland after he waived extradition Thursday at a hearing in Christiansburg, Va. He probably won't be returned until sometime next week, Deputy First Class Carly Hose said.
The charging documents say Minoglio's mother, Bonnie, of nearby Boonsboro, found the bodies of Joseph Michael Minoglio, 84, and Peggy Minoglio, 78. She told investigators she had dropped her son off at the house earlier in the day, and then returned at 5:45 p.m.
Police said both victims had multiple stab wounds, including deep wounds to their throats.
Investigators learned from Montgomery County, Va., authorities that Minoglio had called 911 and confessed to the killings, according to charging documents.
Minoglio's parents divorced in October, according to online court records. His father, Joseph Victor Minoglio, lived at the same address as the victims, according to those records.
The father wrote in a petition for a protective order last August that his son Joseph was a drug addict who had threatened to stab or harm himself and others. He sought the order on behalf of a younger son who also lived at the Keedysville address.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
