Pennsylvania Man Accused Of Using Blanket To Attempt To Smother His 92-Year-Old Father To Death In Hospital

A Pennsylvania man was charged with attempted criminal homicide after he allegedly tried to kill his 92-year-old father by smothering him with a blanket while the elderly man was lying in a hospital bed, officials said.

Officers recently were called to the Penn State Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill regarding an assault on one of the patients at the facility, the East Pennsboro Township Police Department said.

The officers said they spoke with a staff member who witnessed the incident and claimed they saw the suspect, identified as John Stoll Jr., 58, covering his father’s face, allegedly in an attempt to kill him.

The staff member yelled at Stoll Jr. in order to try to stop the alleged assault.

Stoll Jr. fled from the scene, but police found him sitting in his truck outside the hospital, officers said.

He was detained and taken to the police station to be interviewed. He initially denied trying to injure his father, officials said.

After further questioning, however, he told police he placed a blanket over his father’s face for about 30 seconds, according to police.

Stoll Jr. allegedly said he was trying to kill his father and that his father was gasping for air at the time of the assault, the York Dispatch reported.

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He was booked into the Cumberland County Jail on a $250,000 bond and charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and strangulation, officials said.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Mar. 15 for his preliminary hearing.