Warning: The details of this story are graphic and could be disturbing for some readers.
The trial began Monday for a Montgomery County mother accused of strangling her son with her husband’s belt because she didn’t want him to grow up dealing with their family’s financial difficulties.
Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, 51, is accused of killing her son and driving to a Jersey Shore beach where investigators said she left her vehicle in the ocean before walking to a nearby town.
Her bench trial, which has no jury, began Monday morning and was expected to end quickly with a possible verdict by Tuesday afternoon, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
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During Tuesday's hearing the defense argued that Dirienzo-Whitehead killed her son because she was having a psychotic break and felt she was sparing her son a painful life.
Her lawyer told NBC10 that she felt her world was crashing in on her, financial pressures and her son's awareness of them had become too much for the Horsham mom.
However, prosecutors have their own expert witness, a forensic psychiatrist, who says the murder was premeditated and Dirienzo-Whitehead was motivated by revenge.
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Prosecutors revealed Dirienzo-Whitehead had numerous google searched on how to strangle someone and did research on mental health illnesses that lead moms to kill their own kids.
Investigators said Dirienzo-Whitehead was in bed with her 11-year-old son Matthew Whitehead inside their Privet Road home in Horsham Township back on April 10, 2023. Dirienzo-Whitehead's husband and the boy's father was sleeping in another room at the time.
When the father woke up the next morning, he noticed the door to the master bedroom was locked while Dirienzo-Whitehead’s black Toyota Highlander was missing from the garage. The father then forced his way into the bedroom where he found his son’s body. The father then alerted Horsham Township Police.
A responding detective noticed blood and fluids were draining from the boy's mouth and nose. Investigators later determined the boy had been strangled.
Horsham Police received a call from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office. Cape May Police said they found Dirienzo-Whitehead’s empty Toyota Highlander partially submerged in the ocean just off of Beach Avenue in Cape May, New Jersey.
Dirienzo-Whitehead was later found walking in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, shortly after and taken into custody. A police officer said she was dressed in black tattered pajamas, had messy hair and a confused expression. She allegedly told the officer, “I know what I did.”
During an interview with investigators, Dirienzo-Whitehead said her son was upset and had been crying throughout the day due to their family’s financial difficulties, according to the criminal complaint.
Dirienzo-Whitehead then allegedly said she strangled her son with her husband’s belt because she didn’t want the boy to grow up with financial struggles.
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Detectives searched through the Toyota Highlander and found a belt on the driver’s side floor of the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Dirienzo-Whitehead was then charged with first- and third-degree murder as well as possession of an instrument of crime with intent.
During last year's preliminary hearing, prosecutors said Dirienzo-Whitehead -- who sobbed in the courtroom -- was competent to stand trial.
Her lawyer said she had a mental health break at the time of the incident and was receiving mental health treatment and medication at the county jail.
Dirienzo-Whitehead was a real estate agent with an office in Horsham. Her son was a sixth grade student at Germantown Academy, which he attended since kindergarten. School officials described him as an extraordinary child with a bright smile.
“We loved him, and we will forever mourn his loss, a devastating tragedy for our community, his family, his friends, and our world,” a school spokesperson wrote. “We will do everything in our power to carry his memory forward, to honor him as he so truly deserves, and to live our lives well as a tribute to him. Matthew is the embodiment of love, promise, and goodness, and we will never, ever forget him.”
