New Jersey man fatally stabbed mother while she slept: cops

A New Jersey man who police say fatally stabbed his mother in their Howell Township home has been arrested and charged with murder, authorities said Monday.

Robert Parody, 25, is accused of stabbing his mother, Loretta Parody, 61, as she slept, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday. According to Howell Township Police, officers responded to a stabbing at a private residence on Porter Road just before 1:30 a.m.

Parody was taken into custody without incident shortly after responding officers arrived, officials said. Her mother was rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment, where she was later pronounced dead.

An investigation by Howell police and the county's major crimes bureau revealed that Parody entered his mother's bedroom and stabbed her in the chest. She was sleeping at the time, authorities said.

Parody was charged with first-degree murder and a weapons offense, Santiago said.

He was taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Facility, where he remains incarcerated pending a detention hearing.

The motive for the stabbing was not immediately clear.

According to the Asbury Park Press, the victim worked as a real estate agent in nearby Brick Township and was described by a co-worker as a “great person” who “will be missed.”

“There was no other way to describe her than an angel,” her colleague Rosa Cavallaro told the newspaper.