Trial Resumes Tuesday For Horsham Mom Accused In Son's Death

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —The trial of a Horsham mother accused in the strangulation death of her 11-year-old son begins on Monday.

Ruth Dirienzo-Whitehead, 51, will have her first-degree murder and third-degree murder charges and charge of possessing an instrument of crime heard before Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter on Monday in the death of her son in April.

In this case, the trial goes before the judge only, meaning there is no jury. Authorities said the trial could conclude sometime on Tuesday.

There are no opening statements and only brief closing statements by each side.

The judge will typically rule—guilty or not guilty on each charge—soon after the close of the trial but can take as much time as necessary to make the ruling.

If Carpenter finds the defendant guilty of first-degree murder, then the third-degree murder charge is moot, authorities said. The judge would still decide on the instrument of crime charge, authorities with knowledge of the case said.

In mid-November, the Philadelphia lawyer who is representing Dirienzo-Whitehead, filed a motion for an insanity defense.

"As we said from the start, there's just no explanation for it," Eugene Tinari told Patch then. Tinari said he would present "multiple witnesses at the trial to support that argument."

Following the incident, Tineri called his client "delusional."

Since a notice has been filed for an insanity defense, Tineri can call an expert witness who has previously met with her and evaluated her mental competency. Prosecutors can also put their experts on the stand.

DiRienzo-Whitehead also has the right to testify during her trial if her defense attorney deems that she needs to take the stand.

Dirienzo-Whitehead said that she strangled her son with her husband's belt at the family's Privet Road home after he had been "upset and crying off and on all day" over the family's financial difficulties, according to an affidavit.

Authorities said after DiRienzo-Whitehead left her home, she drove the family’s SUV to Cape May, N.J. There, she proceeded to drive the vehicle into the ocean just off Beach Avenue, where it was found by Cape May Police. She then walked to Wildwood Crest, where she was taken into custody by Wildwood Crest Police.

DiRienzo-Whitehead continues to be held in the Montgomery County jail.

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