Piscataway Man Who Killed His Dad, A Police Officer, Loses Appeal

PISCATAWAY, NJ — A Piscataway man’s 2015 aggravated manslaughter conviction for fatally shooting his father at close range was upheld yesterday by a state appeals court. He then shot himself in the arm and called 911, and originally told police both shootings were done by an intruder.

John Mahoney, 29, of Piscataway, was convicted on March 12, 2015, by a jury sitting in New Brunswick for the murder of his father, Jerry Mahoney, 49, a 26-year veteran of the Piscataway police department and member of the Piscataway Board of Education.

During the eight-week trial three years ago, prosecutors showed that Mahoney shot his father three times on the morning of December 27, 2007, while the father was sleeping in a recliner in their home.

The son said his Dad verbally and physically abused him for his entire life, telling him he was a "fat, lazy slob" and screaming at him for quitting the Piscataway High School football team. A shocking recording of the abuse was played for the jury during his trial, where the son said his dad routinely slapped him and punched him and once even pistol-whipped him with his department-issued gun. He said when his parents divorced, his dad started drinking more heavily. He once threw a beer bottle at his son, cutting him.

It was further proven that after shooting his dad, Mahoney subsequently shot himself in the arm and then called 911, saying an intruder broke into the home.

He later told police that he killed his father, but said it was an accident. At trial he admitted to purposely shooting and killing his father, but claimed he acted in self-defense.

Mahoney appealed his conviction and 24-year prison term. A judge severely disagreed on Thursday.

“The defendant received a rather favorable verdict considering defendant shot his father while he sat in a recliner with a blanket around him," an appeals court judge ruled.