NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS – A domestic tragedy has left a community horrified after a son allegedly beat his elderly parents and set their home on fire while they were still alive inside. Darius Hazard, 44, is now facing murder and arson charges for the deaths of his mother and father, who reportedly begged him for mercy as the flames spread.
"I Snapped"
The horrific sequence of events began around 3 a.m. on Monday. Prosecutors state that Hazard was helping his 76-year-old mother, Venture, who suffered from advanced arthritis and scoliosis, after she fell down. According to court documents, Hazard told investigators he simply "snapped" during the struggle.
He allegedly shoved both his mother and his 83-year-old father, Donald, to the floor. The assault continued as he hit them repeatedly with various objects. At one point, he even hurled a fan at his father as the elderly man begged him to stop.
Left for Dead
After the beating, prosecutors say the son doused the first floor in gasoline and set the home ablaze. As he turned to leave, his parents frantically pleaded for him to return. They screamed, "Come back" and "Help us, we are in trouble." Hazard ignored their desperate cries and fled the scene.
Neighbors spotted smoke billowing from the Francis Street home about four hours later and called 911. Fire crews arrived to find the lifeless bodies of the couple in the living room. The Medical Examiner ruled that both Venture and Donald died from smoke inhalation.
A Community in Shock
Police located Hazard later that day in a Walmart parking lot and took him into custody. The brutal nature of the crime has stunned locals who knew the family. One neighbor told reporters that the family were pillars of the neighborhood and noted that Hazard had a learning disability.
Hazard has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remains held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction and is due back in court on December 29.
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