New Haven, Connecticut



From Hartford‘s NBC30.com of October 6, 2004

Son Will Not Be Prosecuted For Shooting Father



Prosecutors have dropped charges against a disabled man who shot and killed his father three years ago.



Luigi DiBrigida, 35, had been charged with murder in the Dec. 20, 2001, killing of his father, John DiBrigida, 57. The charges were later reduced to first-degree manslaughter and criminal use of a weapon and on Monday, a plea was entered for both counts in Superior Court.



Prosecutor Maxine Wilensky said DiBrigida suffers from a brittle bone disease and is confined to a wheelchair. Patients with this genetic disorder break bones easily.



The shooting victim, John DiBrigida, had a history of alcoholism and being physically abusive, according to Wilensky. On the night of the shooting, there had been an argument and Luigi DiBrigida retreated to his bedroom, Wilensky said. His father followed him, flung open his bedroom door and yelled at him.



Luigi DiBrigida told investigators that his father said he was going to pick him up and throw him and his wheelchair.



"The state's position is that a reasonable person who is afflicted with the debilitating effects of this disease would have reasonably believed he was in imminent physical danger of great bodily harm from his inebriated father," Wilensky said.



Luigi DiBrigida took a gun from his wheelchair and fired, then called 911 for medical assistance. John DiBrigida was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he died.