By AMANDA VOSS Daily News
Beau Musial described how and why he allegedly killed his father, Jerome Musial, during the first day of his court trial Thursday.
“I just did my father in,” Musial told the 911 dispatcher Dec. 21, 2012. “I can’t deal with the guy so I murdered him. I murdered him, OK. I used a knife and cut his throat. I can’t deal with somebody who never listens to me.”
District Attorney Mark Bensen played a portion of Washington County Sheriff’s Department Detective Joel Clausing’s interview with Musial.
Musial said he woke up around 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21, 2012. He said he was talking about a title to a new trailer he bought. He told Jerome Musial the title was wrong, but he said his father didn’t listen to him.
“How did you kill him?” Clausing asked. Musial said he hit Jerome Musial in the face and then grabbed a knife.
“I hit him in the face. He went unconscious. I tried to cut his head off,” Musial told Clausing.
Clausing asked how many times Musial cut his father’s throat and Musial said he went back and forth. “Just like you would do a turkey,” Musial said.
He said he washed the knife off and tried to call his aunt, then called the Sheriff’s Department.
Before playing the 911 call, Kuczmarski called Dr. Craig Schoenecker, a forensic psychiatrist, to the witness stand. He said he met Musial in August.
Schoenecker said he reviewed Musial’s medical records and he said Musial has consistently been diagnosed with mental disease, including bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Someone with schizoaffective disorder experiences a combination of symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and mood disorder symptoms like mania or depression.
He said Musial’s treatment records referenced a number of acts of violence that included shooting and killing the family dog. “He had several incidents of aggression toward his parents. He struck his mother. She informed the police his actions were a byproduct of his mental status,” Schoenecker said.
Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Hanson asked if Schoenecker believed Musial understood the wrongfulness of his actions and Schoenecker said yes, but Musical couldn’t conform his conduct to the requirements of the law at the time. He said it was his opinion Musial’s actions were explained as a product of his mental illness rather than a fit of rage.