A Horsham Township mom wrapped a belt around her 11-year-old son Matthew’s neck and strangled him to death last April. Then, she fled to Cape May, NJ and attempted to drive her SUV into the ocean.
She told her attorney she killed her son because she was insane and worried about her family’s health.
Now, Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, 51, will head to prison forever.
Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter did not buy DiRienzo-Whitehead’s plea of insanity in her three-day non-jury trial this week, and convicted her Thursday of first-degree murder, according to The Reporter.
A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison.
"Today, we got justice for a beautiful little boy who should have never been in a position to need justice,” said Assistant District Attorney Lauren Marvel, reacting to the verdict, in The Reporter article. "The judge’s verdict was a fair one. It was supported by the evidence. But it doesn’t undo the horrific tragedy of this mother killing her little boy.”
"We learned that like most 11-year-olds Matthew was a loving, caring, smart, athletic, fun boy who was happy-go-lucky and who just loved life. So, losing him is horrendous,” said co-prosecutor Gwendolyn Kull in the report.
The prosecution proved DiRienzo-Whitehead killed her son in a bedroom of their Privet Road home out of "rage and vengeance” over her husband, Daniel, per the report. Daniel, prosecutors said, was blamed for the family’s financial troubles, and DiRienzo-Whitehead hated her husband so much that "her love for her son didn’t matter.”
Daniel testified against his wife at the trial, per the report. Read more on the conviction here.
According to a release from the district attorney’s office in April 2023, Daniel Whitehead discovered his son’s body inside of the master bedroom of their home around 7 a.m. on April 11, 2023.
The door to the bedroom had been locked, and DiRienzo-Whitehead fled the scene in her car.
Police said the body of the boy showed ligature marks on the front and rear of his neck, indicating he had been strangled to death. An autopsy listed the boy’s cause of death as ligature strangulation and his manner of death as homicide, according to officials.
The investigation revealed the boy had gone to bed with his mother around 9:30 p.m. on April 10, 2023. Once he fell asleep, DiRienzo-Whitehead strangled him, then drove her SUV to Cape May, where she proceeded to drive the vehicle into the ocean just off Beach Avenue, according to investigators.
DiRienzo-Whitehead then began walking towards Wildwood Crest, where she was taken into custody and interviewed by police, according to the release.
In an interview with Montgomery County Detectives, DiRienzo-Whitehead claimed her son had been crying off and on all day over financial difficulties that their family was facing.
She then confessed to strangling him with her husband’s belt to spare him from growing up with financial struggles.
See also:
Prosecution and Defense Experts Testify to Mental State of Horsham Woman Accused of Killing Son
Horsham Woman Accused of Killing Son will Use Insanity Defense in February Trial
Attorney Considering Insanity Defense for Horsham Mother Accused of Killing Son
Judge Orders Mental Health Evaluation for Horsham Mother Accused of Killing Son
Mother Accused of Killing Son in Horsham was Suffering from Mental Illness, Attorney Says
Horsham Mother Charged with Murder in Death of 11-Year-Old Son
Police Investigating After Father Finds 11-Year-Old Son Dead in Horsham Tuesday Morning
