PHOTO: A 19-year-old man has been charged in the violent death of his father, who was struck numerous times in the head with a vehicle anti-theft device similar to the one pictured. Photo Courtesy of overstock.com
By Michael V. Cusenza
An Auburndale man has been charged with beating his father to death with an automobile anti-theft device last Friday night, according to police and published reports.
Dimitrios Safetis, 19, allegedly struck his dad, Ioannis Safetis, 57, in the head in an alcohol-fueled rage around 9:30 p.m. outside Ioannis’ girlfriend’s home on Utopia Parkway near 47th Avenue.
The elder Safetis was rushed to New York Presbyterian/Queens Hospital in Flushing where he was pronounced dead.
The assistant district attorney prosecuting the case told the New York Daily News that Dimitrios Safetis hit his father in the head with the wheel-locking club just once.
Dimitrios Safetis, who claims to have been severely intoxicated at the time of the incident, to the point that he blacked out, has been charged with manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. His bail was set at $500,000, and he is scheduled to appear before a grand jury on Thursday, Feb. 11.
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
