Son Used Hammer To Bludgeon Mom To Death In Laguna Beach, DA Says

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — New details are unfurling in a grim Laguna Beach murder case in which a 36-year-old man is accused of beating his mother to death with a hammer, prosecutors said.

On July 20, Laguna Beach police were called to a death investigation at a home in the 1300 block of Dunning Drive at about 11 a.m.

According to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, authorities were called after the suspect's grandmother entered the residence and found blood-soaked floors and broken furniture.

According to investigators, the grandmother found 36-year-old Safford Wolfson lying on the floor covered in blood before discovering his mother, 61-year-old Angela Caprioli, suffering from severe blunt-force injuries to her head and face.

Caprioli was pronounced dead at the scene. She was visiting Laguna Beach from Maine, prosecutors said.

Wolfson was taken to a hospital where he was treated for self-inflicted injuries to his neck, prosecutors said.

"It is heartbreaking think that someone could so violently end the life of the very person who gave them life," Spitzer said in a statement. "We will continue to pursue justice for Ms. Caprioli and everyone who loved her."

Wolfson and his mother co-founded a sober living and assisted adult care facility in Rancho Palos Verdes in 2021. The profile states that Wolfson served as a business manager and administrative assistant, according to his LinkedIn profile.

On July 27, county prosecutors announced that Wolfson had been formally charged with murder, along with a felony enhancement alleging he personally used a deadly weapon, a hammer, during the killing of his mother.

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