A 55-year-old man is being held and is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation after his mother was found dead in the home the two shared with another family member.
When police arrived on the scene they found 91-year-old Petrina Masotto lying dead in a pool of blood covered in slash wounds. A police source said the son being held admitted to slicing up his mother's body because he thought it was a mannequin or part of a Halloween prank.
Neighbors of the Masotto family told the New York Daily News that people were afraid of the 55-year-old man because of his erratic behavior. Antoinette Emanuel said "They were always arguing. They would go crazy. He'd be outside with his pants down to his knees banging on trash cans from midnight to 3 o'clock in the morning."
A man from across the street who only gave the name Sam said the suspect is mentally ill and suffers from drug problems.
The city medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
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