A man has been arrested after police say he killed his roommate following an argument over Thanksgiving food at their Massachusetts home.
Richard Lombardi, 65, has been charged with manslaughter and assault and battery on an elderly person following the death of his 80-year-old roommate Frank Griswold.
According to CBS News, Lombardi was preparing Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday (November 27) when Griswold came into the kitchen.
The suspect told law enforcement officials that Griswold was prone to sneezing and warned him not to contaminate the food before drawing a physical barrier using salt and pepper.
Then he says the elderly man was standing near the food as it was being cooked so he grabbed him by the collar and pushed him. “Defendant did surmise that Mr. Griswold’s feet got tangled up, and he fell and hit his head on the floor,” Prosecutor Joseph Presley claimed, per the outlet.
When the older man did not get up, Lombardi called 911. An unconscious Griswold was then found “face up in a pool of blood and with a cut on his face,” by first responders.
“It did appear that the victim had sustained a broken nose as well as an injury to his neck,” Presley said, while Defense attorney Marshall Johnson explained: “What I heard and what I’m sure some of you heard in the courtroom was as close to an accident and nothing more as I have heard in a long time.”
Lombardi’s attorney said the two men had been friends for about 30 years, adding that they first knew each other in the 1990s when they worked in finance at Charles River Management.
Griswold used to work as the CIO of John Hancock, and since the pandemic, Lombardi has been helping Griswold with most of his daily life. The pair were roommates for more than 20 years.
The defense attorney revealed his client was devastated to learn that the 80-year-old had died from blunt force trauma to the neck and head.
“He was shocked because nobody had told him that his friend had passed away until I told him this morning,” he added, cited by The Independent.
Griswold pleaded not guilty in Plymouth District Court and is being held without bail. He is expected to be back in court next Wednesday (December 4).
