Florida man Christian Gomez beheaded mum with an axe on New Year's Eve

Christian Gomez, who suffers from schizophrenia, decapitated his mother and left her body next to an outside bin

Ben Tufft
Friday 02 January 2015 11:25 GMT
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A schizophrenic man decapitated his mother with an axe because she “nagged” him to do chores, according to Florida police.

Christian Jose Gomez, 23, has been charged with first degree murder for the horrific New Year’s Eve crime.

Gomez placed his mother’s head in a bin but left her decapitated body next to the receptacle, outside the family home in Oldsmar Florida, as he could not lift her body.

Pinellas County police said that the suspect had been planning the murder for two days, as he was angry that his mother had asked him to move boxes into the attic.

The body of the victim was discovered by Gomez’s brother, Mario, who found a blood trail in the garage and followed it to his mother, who was lying beside a rubbish bin. He immediately called the police.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told WFLA news of Gomez's state of mind following his arrest: “In a very calm, cool way, he explained what he did, why he did it and what happened and by talking to him, you wouldn't know he had any mental illness…that's very scary.”

When police arrived at the scene Gomez had left the house on a bike, but following a brief chase was captured and taken into custody.

Authorities said that while Gomez was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and prescribed tablets, they were unsure if he had been taking his medication.

A relative told NBC News that the victim was a “really good mother” and added: “Christian was normal until like age 20 — I think when he was diagnosed.

"It's so confusing what happened.”

Gomez has previously been arrested for loitering and disorderly conduct.

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