A man survived for hours and went through his morning routine despite being attacked with an axe by his son.
Christopher Porco had ongoing disputes with his parents, Peter and Joan Porco, for about a year over his poor academic performance at university.
Due to his grades, Porco was withdrawn from the University of Rochester in late 2003, but he fabricated a story to his parents, claiming a professor misplaced his final exam.
Porco returned to the university in fall 2004 by forging his transcripts from a community college. He convinced his parents the exam had been found and that the university was covering his tuition as an apology.
In truth, Porco had taken out a $31,000 loan by forging his father’s signature and used it to buy a Jeep Wrangler along with paying tuition fees.
When Peter discovered this, he was reportedly very upset.
He sent his son a stern email stating: “Did you forge my signature as a co-signer?… What the hell are you doing?… I’m calling Citibank this morning to find out what you have done.”
Porco ignored his father’s emails, prompting Peter to send another message: “I want you to know that if you abuse my credit again, I will be forced to file forgery affidavits.
“We may be disappointed with you, but your mother and I still love you and care about your future.”
Less than two weeks after this email, Peter was murdered by his son.
On November 15, 2004, Porco deactivated his parents’ security system and entered their home quietly.
While both parents were asleep, Porco attacked them with an axe in their bedroom.
After the attack, the 21-year-old drove his jeep back to the university in Rochester.
Peter did not die immediately from his injuries; he awoke the next morning and went through his usual morning activities.
Despite his grave injuries, Peter attempted to perform tasks like making lunch, loading the dishwasher, and writing a check for Christopher.
Peter ultimately succumbed to his injuries, which included being struck in the skull 16 times.
Joan survived the attack but lost an eye and part of her skull.
In August 2006, Porco was found guilty of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison.