Man Arrested for Allegedly Killing Parents in Massachusetts Fire

A man has been taken into custody on suspicion of violently assaulting his elderly parents and setting their Massachusetts home ablaze, leaving them behind as they cried for assistance, according to authorities.

Darius Hazzard, 44, faces charges of murder and arson following the discovery of his parents—76-year-old Venture and 83-year-old Donald—dead in the charred remains of their North Adams residence on Monday. This information comes from the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.

Police reports indicate that Hazzard admitted to attacking his parents inside their home, pouring gasoline on both the floor and the living room, igniting the house, and subsequently abandoning them inside the inferno.

Firefighters responding to the scene around 7 a.m. on Monday found the couple dead, with the medical examiner attributing their deaths to smoke inhalation.

In a separate incident, an Illinois man was charged with arson for allegedly igniting a home on Thanksgiving.

Authorities located Hazzard in a Walmart parking lot, where he had reportedly tried to harm himself with a knife, sustaining injuries to his thigh and chest. He expressed to police that he was “really, really angry” as he and his father were helping his mother, who had fallen due to her advanced arthritis and scoliosis.

According to court documents, Hazzard acknowledged losing his temper. Witnesses reported that he yelled at his parents, striking them repeatedly. Despite his father’s pleas to stop, Hazzard continued, physically pushing them to the floor and hitting them with various items, even throwing a fan at his father.

He then poured gasoline on the living areas, ignited it, and left the scene. At that point, although injured, his parents were still alive, calling out for help as he drove away, despite the police urging him to return.

Remarkably, Hazzard recounted that, while he had previously experienced outbursts of anger, this was the first instance that escalated to violence against his parents. He has entered a plea of not guilty and is currently being held at the Berkshire County House of Corrections without bail, as reported by News 10.