STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — Police have reported that a 19-year-old man allegedly used a hacksaw to decapitate his stepfather in their Staten Island residence on Monday.
Damien Hurstel faces charges of murder and criminal weapon possession in the death of 45-year-old Anthony Casalaspro, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The accused is currently in the hospital due to a medical issue, police said. Hurstel is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday morning for arraignment.
The tragic scene was discovered by a 16-year-old girl, who found the victim in a bathtub with numerous stab wounds to the head and neck at a home on Cary Avenue in West Brighton around 4:30 p.m., sources indicated, and she promptly called 911.
The motive remained unclear. Sources said Casalaspro’s wife and the suspect had filed numerous domestic violence complaints against him.
Police said Hurstel has no prior arrests and no history of being emotionally disturbed.
Casalaspro was a retired Department of Sanitation worker, according to the property manager.
