PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Horsham mother accused of strangling her 11-year-old son while he slept has returned to Montgomery County after waiving her extradition hearing in New Jersey.
Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, 50, is charged with first-degree murder in Montgomery County. Authorities said she admitted to strangling her 11-year-old son, Matthew, with his father’s belt.
“Ruth was nothing but an adoring, loving, caring mom of Matthew. She wanted the best for him,” said her attorney, Eugene Tinari.
He said in conversations with DiRienzo-Whitehead and family members, they are exploring mental health issues.
“There is no other explanation,” Tinari said. “It’s not an excuse, but it is a reason, because there’s no other explanation of why this would occur other than she was delusional. She was hallucinating.”
According to charging documents, DiRienzo-Whitehead told detectives she strangled her son because he was upset about financial issues, and she didn’t want him to grow up with those struggles. Tinari said that statement shows she was likely “under some sort of delusion.”
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“If you analyze that statement in and of itself, it’s already problematic in terms of whether or not it is coming from someone who was thinking clearly and rationally,” he said.
“What was her life with this young child before?” he continued. “The pride and joy of her life; he was her heart. So how do you go from that to doing this despicable act?”
Police said after she killed her son, she drove her SUV into the ocean in Cape May and walked to Wildwood Crest, where she was arrested.
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