Jonathan Mendelsohn
In Horsham, Pennsylvania, 50-year-old Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead has been accused of murdering her son to shield him from the family’s financial hardships. It was reported that after 11-year-old Matthew Whitehead fell asleep next to his mother at 9:30 PM in their home, she strangled him to death with a belt.
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A police affidavit stated that DiReienzo-Whitehead told officials during questioning that her late son had been “crying off and on all day” because of the family’s current financial situation. The woman informed police that she did not want her son to grow up dealing with her and her husband’s struggles, “so she strangled him with her husband’s belt as he slept.”
A Mother’s Horrific Murder of Her Own Son
The young boy’s official cause of death was listed as ligature strangulation. Ligature marks were found on Matthew’s neck, and his eyes were affected by “obvious petechiae.” DiReienzo-Whitehead’s husband alerted police that something was wrong around 7 AM. He reported that the master bedroom of the home was locked and the family vehicle was missing.
When police arrived on the scene, they were able to get into the bedroom to find Matthew’s lifeless body in bed. DiReienzo-Whitehead was eventually found wandering around Wildwood Crest, where she had driven the missing Toyota Highlander into the ocean. When the vehicle was retrieved, police discovered a black men’s dress belt, which belonged to DiReienzo-Whitehead’s husband.
DiRienzo-Whitehead has been arrested and is currently charged with first-degree murder and third-degree murder, as well as possessing an instrument of crime. District Attorney Kevin Steele spoke on the matter, saying, “I want to thank Cape May Police, Wildwood Crest Police and Cape May Prosecutor Geoffrey Sutherland’s Office for their assistance with apprehending this mother who killed her son and with other aspects of this investigation.”
The slain boy’s school, Germantown Academy, also released a statement that read, “Matthew was an extraordinary child with a smile as bright as the sun. We loved him, and we will forever mourn his loss.”
