Duxbury man, charged with father's murder in 'exorcism,' awaits fate. Here's the latest

BROCKTON – Jurors heard closing arguments Friday in the murder trial of a Duxbury man accused of drowning his father 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.

Jack Callahan did not testify in his own defense.

Jurors began deliberations Friday afternoon after receiving instructions from Judge William Sullivan.

Prosecution says Callahan killed his father during an altercation

Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fowle said Callahan had a friend drive him to Boston with plans to pick up his father from a Boston hotel where he was staying. The friends found Callahan's father, who had problems with alcohol, at a Boston bar. The elder Callahan had been living at an assisted living facility in Hopkinton but had checked himself out.

Callahan and his father then took an early morning Uber ride to Island Creek Pond in Duxbury from Boston. Scott Callahan's sister, Martha DeMarco, testified that her nephew called her and said he was going to pick up his father, but later called her and said he was "missing."

Callahan arrived at his mother's Duxbury home around 2 a.m. in wet clothing, prompting her to call the police.

Callahan told police there was an altercation and his father hit him in the face repeatedly. The pair then ended up in the water.

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.

Officials found Scott Callahan in the pond with his suitcases floating nearby.

Defense says there isn't enough evidence to convict

Attorney Kevin Reddington is representing Callahan, who was 19 at the time of his father's death. He said there is no evidence proving that Callahan caused his father's death.

He encouraged jurors to “draw on life experiences and common sense” to consider whether the state met its burden of proof for first-degree murder.

“You have the ability to bring your life experiences into the jury room to decide whether the state has proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

He said they have the right to consider whether investigators used reasonable techniques. He suggested investigators did not properly test evidence.

“This was an atrocious investigation. It was not just negligent,” Reddington said. "The investigation was shoddy and you have the right as the jury to consider that."

Reddington said Jack Callahan and Scott Callahan had a good relationship.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Jury begins deliberations in Jack Callahan's Duxbury murder trial