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Weymouth man pleads guilty to killing father in 2020
The 42-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for fatally beating and strangling his 61-year-old father.
A Weymouth man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday in Norfolk Superior Court for killing his father nearly five years ago, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office announced.
William Walling Jr., 42, was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years for killing William Walling Sr., his 61-year-old father, the DA’s office said. Walling Jr.’s trial was scheduled to start Tuesday.
Walling Jr. also received a concurrent prison sentence of 19 to 20 years for a rape charge, according to court records.
Walling Jr. was arrested on May 16, 2020 at the Weymouth home where he lived with Walling Sr. after a relative called 911 for a medical emergency, the DA’s office said. On arrival, officers found Walling Sr. dead on the floor and Walling Jr. in his bedroom.
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Prosecutors later determined that Walling Jr. suffocated his father with a plastic bag and intended to bury his body in the backyard of their home. Police found a hole in the backyard, a wheelbarrow, and a receipt for saws and a 40-pound bag of lye, a corrosive chemical, prosecutors said.
Walling Jr. was initially charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
“I would like to thank the Weymouth Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office for their investigation into this tragic crime,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said.
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