A Pennsylvania man is incarcerated for allegedly killing his mother, who was bedridden and dependent on an oxygen machine.
Chad Walburn, 40, was charged last week with first-degree murder in connection with the October death of his mother, Phyllis Elaine Walburn, 63, according to court documents.
According to her obituary, the elder Walburn passed away in an Erie hospital on October 31 following years of health problems. Police, however, determined that her death was a homicide.
The Erie Police Department received a call on October 23 regarding a man who was refusing to leave his house, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit that the Erie Times-News was able to obtain.
Officers found Chad Walburn, the unwanted visitor, inside his mother’s house when they got there. According to reports, police found her in her bed, drenched and unconscious.
Her neck was discolored, and her oxygen tube seemed to have been taken out of her nose. Officers saw that the equipment had been unplugged and turned off.
Chad Walburn allegedly confessed to taking out his mother’s oxygen tube, shutting it off, and removing the plug after Miranda. According to the complaint, he then doused her with water from a number of containers, including a small garbage can.
Chad Walburn allegedly said that his mother needs to die when questioned why he did this. She passed away eight days after being taken to the hospital by paramedics.
The Times-News reported that the Erie County Coroner declared her death to be a homicide. In the days after the event, Walburn was charged with aggravated assault.
According to the newspaper, however, the coroner’s subsequent inquiry revealed that respiratory failure brought on by a deliberate oxygen deprivation was the cause of death. On Friday, Walburn was charged with murder.
He has yet to be released on bond from Erie County Prison.
Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah told local ABC/Fox affiliate WJET, “We just wanted to make sure that everything was consistent with the coroner’s report and our detectives investigation because there were a lot of moving parts to this investigation.”
As of right now, the formal coroner’s report has been out, classifying it as a homicide. Obviously, charges were then filed after consulting with the district attorney’s office.
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