Woman Fatally Struck In Watertown, Son ID'd

WATERTOWN, MA – A man accused of stabbing the driver of a tow truck that fatally hit his mother was ordered held without bail Thursday. Philip Horner, 38, of Quincy, will undergo a 20-day psychological evaluation and appear in court for a dangerousness hearing.

Horner's mother, 68-year-old Benita Horner, of Belmont, was hit by a flatbed tow truck in Watertown Square Wednesday morning. Police found her around 11:20 a.m. while responding to a road rage call on Watertown Street near the intersection of Nonantum and Galen Streets. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The younger Horner allegedly got into an altercation with the truck driver and stabbed him about five times in the torso. The driver, a 60-year-old Norton man, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Horner faces charges of armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest. His next scheduled court appearance is Oct. 10.

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information, including video of the collision, to contact the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6600 or Watertown Police at 617-972-6500.

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