Son of Former Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Kills Mother & Them Jumps Out of UES Apartment Window
Edited by: TJVNews.com
A gruesome scene unfolded in the well-heeled Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan this week, as the son of an ex-judge killed his mother and then himself.
The New York Post reported that police sources told them on Wednesday that the night before he flew into a horrifying rage and killed his mother, the parents of the now deceased 26 year old Doug Solomon had been discussing ways of dealing with their son’s many problems.
Solomon killed his 65-year-old mother, Diane Gallagher with a lamp that caused blunt force injuries to her head, neck and torso, according to a Wednesday ruling by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
After taking his mother’s life in such a brutal manner Solomon squeezed through a narrow bedroom window at the posh high-rise apartment he shared with his parents before jumping down to the courtyard, sources told the Post. When his body was discovered in the courtyard of the building on East 79th Street, he was found naked and bloodied with a broken back and a series of bruises, according to the Post report.
Solomon’s parents were concerned about their son as he had dropped out of college and was drinking alcohol and smoking pot; while leading a rudderless existence.
Speaking to city investigators, former Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon said that his wife and son were sleeping when he departed their Upper East Side apartment on the day of the murder-suicide. He also said that his family had not experienced a history of domestic issues, according to the Post report.
Doug Solomon was the only son of the former judge and his wife. The Post reported that during his career on the bench, Judge Solomon had presided over a substantial number of high-profile cases including the trial of rap star P. Diddy’s nightclub shooting trial.
The Post reported that two years ago Doug Solomon had dropped out of college due to poor grades and had stopped participating in sports. The report also indicated that he was heavily indulging in alcohol consumption and was using marijuana on a regular basis, according to sources within the law enforcement community. They also said that Solomon had a bad temper.
The question of what sports he stopped playing is not clear, but the Post reported that according to Solomon’s Facebook page, when he had attended the Poly Prep Country Day School, he had played high school lacrosse.
Law enforcement authorities also told the Post that while the younger Solomon was not taking any medication nor did he have any known psychiatric history, he was in consultation with a therapist after leaving college but was no longer seeing that therapist.
Sources also told the Post that Doug Solomon had a close relationship with his mother; much more so than with his father. They apparently did not argue on any kind of regular basis.
A former high school classmate of Doug Solomon told the Post that he had played lacrosse with him and he had no predilection to violent outbursts. He referred to Solomon as a “very kind, genuine and light hearted individual.”
The high school friends told the Post that, “I think it’s quite obvious he may have been suffering from depression or some other mental illness and was using alcohol and weed as a way to cope with his problems. Him and his mom always seemed to have a good relationship like others have said and I just wish things didn’t turn out the way they did because this is just a terrible thing for anyone to go through.”
The Post reported that on Wednesday morning, a half-dozen detectives were seen milling in and out of the building, clutching brown evidence bags.
Shocked neighbors who knew the Solomon family were in complete disbelief when hearing of the tragic news.
A neighbor who’s lived on the same floor as the Solomon family for a decade told The Post. “I would have been in a position to hear commotion or fighting coming from their apartment, but never, never, in all the time I’ve lived here. Never any kind of disturbance — just quiet.”
