A convicted
murderer beat his mother to death during an
argument, just two days after he was
released from prison, authorities said.
Gwendolyn Pratt, 64, was found dead around
6:30 a.m. Sunday at a home in Atlantic City,
The Press of Atlantic City reported. An autopsy
determined she died from massive blunt
injuries to the head, Atlantic County
prosecutor Jim McClain said in a statement.
Her 45-year-old son, Steven Pratt, was
detained at the scene and charged with
murder. He was being held on $1 million bail,
and it was not known if he has retained an
attorney.
A neighbor of the victim told the newspaper
that the Pratt family had just thrown a
welcome-home party for Steven. The
neighbor, Ruan Tilghman-Pugh, said Steven
had asked a cousin whether he could stay
with him after having a disagreement with an
aunt with whom he was staying over the
weekend.
"It's so devastating," Tilghman-Pugh told the
paper. "You just never know what people are
going through."
Pratt was 15 when he shot and killed his
next-door neighbor, Michael Anderson, in
1984. He was tried as an adult and convicted
of first-degree murder in 1986. He received a
30-year prison sentence and was freed on
Friday.
According to court records, Pratt and
Anderson argued after Pratt and some of his
friends refused to leave an apartment hallway
where they were noisily hanging out. Pratt
returned to Anderson's apartment with a lead
pipe, but Anderson took the weapon away
and bloodied Pratt's face.
Pratt then returned with a borrowed handgun
and shot Anderson.
SOURCE::::::Yahoo
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