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James Doran beat his mother to death at this home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, police said. (Mug shot: Bedford County Correctional Facility; screenshot: WPVI)
A New Jersey man is accused of beating his own mother to death after arguing with her over him cutting a tattoo off his own leg.
James Doran, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his mother, 65-year-old Lillian Doran. The victim was found dead inside a home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, but troopers in neighboring Pennsylvania said they arrested James Doran — covered in blood, his breath smelling of alcohol — after seeing him speeding in Bedford, some 220 miles west.
Officers in Gloucester Township, are investigating the homicide and say it was his mother’s car.
Gloucester Township cops said that they got a 911 call on Saturday about Lillian Doran dead inside a home in the 100 block of Fairmount Avenue in the community of Blackwood. They found her on a bedroom floor, obviously dead and suffering from blunt force trauma to the back of her head, according to documents.
“Officers did not see signs of forced entry,” they wrote.
Authorities did not elaborate on the nature of the tattoo or why the defendant allegedly wanted to cut it off.
Witnesses told cops that Lillian lived with several family members in the home. Those relatives included her son, James Doran.
“Witnesses stated that the previous evening, the victim and James Doran had argued about James Doran cutting a tattoo off his leg and walking around the house with a baseball bat,” the complaint stated. “A witness reported hearing banging sounds and a garage door opening at about 4 am. Detectives noted that the victim’s vehicle was missing and James Doran was no longer at the residence.”
Gloucester Township is in the Philadelphia area, but Pennsylvania troopers said they encountered defendant Doran further out in the town of Bedford, Pennsylvania, which is about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
According to state troopers, one of them was doing routine patrol on Saturday when a driver, later identified as James Doran, was going at a high rate of speed. The trooper managed to do a traffic stop, but the driver fled on foot into a nearby wooded area, authorities said.
The driver “was covered in blood and was acting erratically,” they wrote.
He allegedly refused to give his name, and his breath smelled of alcohol. Troopers took him to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Bedford to be cleared by medical staff, they wrote.
Authorities tried to contact the “registered owner” of the vehicle in New Jersey, said state police, who did not did name the person. Gloucester Township gave them an individual’s name to see if this was the driver.
“The operator matched the name and date of birth given by Gloucester Township Police Department,” police said. “The operator was a lead suspect in a homicide that occurred earlier in the morning.”
Gloucester Township cops said that Pennsylvania troopers found a baseball bat in the trunk of Lillian’s vehicle.
