DUXBURY, MA – This week marks the inception of a jury trial for a Massachusetts man, Jack Callahan, 22, charged with the alleged murder of his father, Scott Callahan, 57, amid a reported mental health episode in 2021. Jack believed his father was “possessed” and saw himself as baptizing him in a nearby pond, an act that eventually resulted in Scott’s demise.
The local news outlet, The Patriot Ledger, brought to light the courtroom proceedings where witnesses testified against Callahan in the murder case. The victim, Scott Callahan, was a Senior Vice President at Texas Capital Bank.
Callahan had previously alerted the authorities about his father’s battle with alcoholism. He had pictked up his father via Uber, suspecting him of consuming alcohol at a bar. However, what began as a car ride turned to a fatal tragedy when the duo was dropped off by their Uber at a pond near their residence in Duxbury.
According to the media outlet, Callahan conveyed his desire to smoke a cigarette. An ensuing altercation took place by the water, with the father thrashing his son, according to Callahan’s account shared with the police.
Plymouth Assistant District Attorney, Shanan Buckingham gave the particulars at Callahan’s 2021 arraignment. Callahan reportedly held his father in the water, dunking him multiple times. The immersion continued until Scott Callahan ceased to resist, as conveyed by the prosecution.
It was also revealed by the prosecution that Callahan told the authorities that he considered his father to be possessed by a demon “Dirty Dan”, whom he hoped to exorcise with the symbolic baptism at the pond.
In a later statement to the police, Callahan admitted to having conversation with his father’s lifeless body, sharing with him the ultimatum of heaven or hell. The court told that Callahan believed his father made the latter choice.
Plymouth County Superior Court Judge William Sullivan has projected the trial to cover a span of approximately ten days. Callahan is maintaining his innocence and pleading not guilty.