Inset: Samuel Prince (Mobile County Metro Jail). Background: The house where Prince allegedly killed his own father in Mobile, Ala. (Google Maps).
An Alabama man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his father in the front yard of their family home, according to police in the Yellowhammer State.
Authorities from the Mobile Police Department have charged 19-year-old Samuel Prince with the murder of his father, 67-year-old Mark Prince.
The tragic event unfolded at a residence on Victor Road in Mobile on a Wednesday afternoon, as reported by law enforcement officials.
Police officers arrived on the scene around 2 p.m., where they found the elder Prince in the front yard, already deceased. The police department’s press release did not reveal a motive, though investigators suspect the act was premeditated.
At the scene, investigators were seen examining a red truck, according to a report from Mobile’s local Fox affiliate, WALA.
Neighbors have expressed their sorrow, recalling Mark Prince with fond memories.
“He was a dear person to me and my family,” this neighbor said. “We love him; we’re definitely going to miss him. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that this, today, would be happening the way that it has.”
Another neighbor recalled the fuss and stir outside as the grim scene unfolded in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing.
“My husband was looking out the window, and he saw something on the ground,” the second neighbor said. “He thought it was clothes at first, but by the time he realized it was a person, you know, the police had driven up, and they were all gathered around. And by that time, more police came and, oh my goodness, it was a circus out there.”
On the day in question, the elder Prince was stabbed multiple times by the younger Prince, according to Mobile-based CBS affiliate WKRG. Then, the defendant called his mother to come home from work, neighbors told law enforcement. The mother then called 911.
A third neighbor said he recalled the father and son as being like “two peas in a pod” when Samuel Prince was younger, WALA reported. But, in recent years, the son had grown increasingly withdrawn.
“The last time I pretty much laid eyes on him, he was maybe 12 years old, and now he’s 19,” the third neighbor said. “So, you know, like I said, he stayed in the house pretty much.”
The defendant remained on the scene and was arrested after the slaying, according to law enforcement.
On Friday, Samuel Prince appeared before a judge who set his bond at $750,000, which requires a 25 percent cash deposit, according to courtroom reports by WALA and WKRG. During that hearing, prosecutors said the younger man stabbed his father in front of his grandmother. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office had requested $1 million bond.
In the event the accused killer is released on bond, he will be subject to electronic monitoring, prosecutors said.
Samuel Prince is next slated to appear in court on Jan. 28.
