Duxbury man charged with his father's murder in a baptism, exorcism. What happened in court

Jessica Trufant, The Patriot Ledger
·2 min read

BROCKTON – The jury trial has started for a Duxbury man who prosecutors say drowned his father while trying to exorcise his demons in 2021.

Prosecutors say Jack Callahan, now 22, dunked 57-year-old Scott Callahan's head underwater in a Duxbury pond in June 2021 in a type of baptism and exorcism, killing him.

Judge William Sullivan said Thursday that the trial, held in Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton, is expected to take a week-and-a-half or so. The prosecution continued to call its witnesses Thursday, including Scott Callahan's sister, Martha DeMarco.

Attorney Kevin Reddington is representing Callahan, who was 19 at the time of his father's death.

During Jack Callahan's District Court arraignment in June 2021, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham said Callahan and his father had taken an early-morning Uber ride to Island Creek Pond in Duxbury from Boston.

Callahan told police his father hit him in the face repeatedly and that the pair ended up in the water, Buckingham said.

Callahan told police that he dunked his father's head underwater four to eight times and believed he was baptizing him, officials said. The prosecutor said the 19-year-old told police that he believed his father was possessed by a spirit.

Callahan had found his father, who the prosecutor said had problems with alcohol, at a Boston bar and the son thought he was helping his father with his issues, according to Buckingham. The elder Callahan had headed to the bar from an alcohol treatment facility, bags in tow, the prosecutor said.

Buckingham said Jack Callahan kept dunking his father's head underwater until he "was no longer struggling."

After the altercation, Jack Callahan headed home to tell his mother, who was divorced from his father, that he was missing, police said. The pair had initially been traveling to the mother's home, but she didn't want her ex-husband to come there. She called police when her son arrived in soaking wet clothes.

Duxbury first responders found Scott Callahan floating in the water with his luggage at the pond in the Crooker Memorial Park area. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth and pronounced dead.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Scott Callahan drowned in Duxbury. His son's murder trial has started.