A California Father Reconnected With His Estranged Adult Son. Then He Bludgeoned the Sleeping Man With a Sledgehammer.

A California man who recently reconnected with his estranged adult son has been convicted of trying to murder him by bludgeoning him with a sledgehammer while he slept, according to authorities.

On March 19, 2023, Anthony Nardini, 42, and his 24-year-old son, whose name has not been released, were living in Ventura County when they got into a physical altercation, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Family members had to break up the fight, and Nardini went out to his car. When he came back inside, his son was sleeping on the couch, officials said.

Authorities said Nardini “insisted that others in the house head to bed” and when they did, he beat his son with the sledgehammer.

Police said family members rushed downstairs to help the victim, who suffered a “severe head injury," and Nardini fled the scene.

Officers responding to the scene found a bloody sledgehammer outside. The victim was rushed to the hospital and was placed in a medically induced coma for several days and has since survived the attack.

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On Sept. 21, the DA’s office announced a jury found Nardini guilty of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the attack on his son.

Nardini will be sentenced on Nov. 1 and faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole, authorities said.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Stu Gardner said, "While this conviction will never repair the emotional and physical scars inflicted by his father, we hope that this affirmation by the jury will bring some solace to the young man who experienced an unfathomable attack on his life."