A 28-year-old Indian-origin man in Schaumburg, Illinois, has been charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly beat his 67-year-old father to death with a sledgehammer at their family home over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Abhijit Patel is accused of killing his father, Anupam Patel, despite an active order of protection that prohibited him from contact with the victim, according to Cook County prosecutors and US media reports.
The active protection order, set to expire in 2027, was in place due to prior threats made by the son, though his parents had allowed him to remain living at home.
Son said he had ‘taken care of Dad’
The incident took place on 29 November. Court documents reveal the victim's wife returned home around 10:30 AM after being unable to reach her husband, Anupam Patel, or son by phone. Her concern escalated when her husband, who was unemployed due to diabetes and monitored by a connected glucose device, failed to make his routine 8 AM call regarding his blood sugar levels, which she observed were dropping, Patch news reported.
Upon arriving home, the wife noted the garage door was unusually open. She encountered her son, Abhijit Patel, who reportedly told her he had "taken care of Dad" and advised her to "go check on him."
She found Anupam Patel unresponsive and covered in blood in his bedroom shortly before 11 AM. Emergency responders arrived and pronounced the father dead at the scene. Authorities recovered a sledgehammer nearby. An autopsy later confirmed the victim died from at least two blunt force blows to the head, resulting in a fractured skull and broken nose.
Confession and delusional claims
Abhijit Patel surrendered immediately upon the arrival of the police. During questioning, the suspect confessed to bringing the sledgehammer to his father’s room while he was awake and striking him multiple times before leaving the weapon nearby.
Patel claimed his motive was a "religious obligation" to kill his father for the alleged molestation he experienced as a child. However, prosecutors noted that Patel, who has a diagnosed history of schizophrenia and past hospitalization for treatment, told police his doctors believe the claims against his father are "delusional."
Abhijit Patel is currently being held without bail and has been prohibited from contacting his mother. His next court hearing in the case is scheduled for 19 December.
