A man allegedly admitted to cops that he brutally killed his father by not only beating and stabbing the man but also drowning him in a water bucket.
The defendant, David Allen Hagal, 60, is held without bail at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey for charges including murder, records show. The local prosecutor’s office said he took the life of his father, George J. Hagal, 87, early Sunday morning.
According to press and court documents, defendant Hagal arrived at the Franklin Lake Police Department, telling cops he murdered his father at their home on Haddon Place. Police arrived at the residence to find George Hagal dead. They also claimed to find the pipe and knife used in the killing.
David Allen Hagal, pictured here, murdered his father, George J. Hagal, police said. (Mug shot: Bergen County Sheriff’s Office)
“Hagal was subsequently interviewed and admitted to bludgeoning his father multiple times with a metal pipe, stabbing his father multiple times with a kitchen knife, and ultimately drowning his father in a bucket of water,” police said. “Hagal stated that the murder occurred in the second floor bedroom and bathroom which was later confirmed during a court authorized search warrant of the premises. During the search, law enforcement located a metal pipe and kitchen knife, both containing suspected blood, inside of the upstairs bathroom.”
Authorities did not suggest a motive. Officers vaguely described defendant Hagal as a danger to himself.
“The defendant exhibited suicidal behavior (such as excessive sadness or moodiness) or threatened self-injury during this incident or at any time prior thereto,” they wrote.
George Hagal’s wife, Elaine, passed away at age 84 on April 28 after 63 years of marriage, according to her obituary.
George Hagal served four years in the U.S. Marines, then worked 12 as a police officer in his hometown of Teaneck, according to The Daily Voice. He also reportedly had been president of a police union, the PBA Local 86, and was active in Teaneck’s Boy Scouts and Little League.
After his time as a police officer, he reportedly became vice president of the local wholesale food dealer, then known as Carl Mellone & Son and now known as Mellone Wholesale Produce of Hackensack. The family moved into the Haddon Place home in 1978.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
