A man has been charged and accused of killing his mother in her Penfield home Sunday afternoon.
Here's what we know about the homicide:
Penfield man accused of killing mom
Joseph A. Petrella, 39, of Penfield, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree burglary, both felonies, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor, in connection with the incident, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Petrella is accused of fatally stabbing his mother, 60-year-old Amy M. Hogan.
"A crime of this magnitude, the violence involved in taking the life of your own mother, I don't know that any of us can explain how that ever comes to be," Chief Deputy Michael Fowler said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "Where does a person have to be in their life to do something like that? I certainly
can't explain it. But it does happen."
Investigation started as burglary call
Deputies were called to a residence on Ewald Drive in Penfield around 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, to investigate a reported burglary.
While at the residence, deputies were directed to Petrella, who answered questions about the alleged burglary and allowed a deputy inside his home, Fowler said.
As the deputy questioned Petrella, he "observed some signs of things out of the ordinary" that "raised his concern," Fowler said.
"The signs inside the residence clearly spelled out that something was wrong," Fowler said.
Deputies then investigated further and found Hogan's body inside the home.
Petrella had been "in and out" of living with his mother at the Ewald Drive home, but both were living there at the time of Hogan's death, Fowler said.
Fowler also said Petrella is accused of a burglary that allegedly occurred at a nearby residence. A neighbor called 911 to report that someone had entered his vehicle and home and that some items were missing.
Cause of death
According to court paperwork, Hogan was fatally stabbed inside the home.
Fowler said Tuesday that it appeared Hogan was killed sometime over the weekend, most likely within the 24-hour period before deputies were called to the neighborhood around 3 p.m. Sunday about the potential burglary.
Fowler said it was not immediately clear what "led up to" Hogan's death.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office removed Hogan's body from the home Sunday, and deputies collected evidence at the scene.
What's next
Petrella was arraigned in CAP Court Tuesday morning and remanded to the Monroe County Jail without bail, Fowler said.
Petrella has had previous contact with deputies but has not been arrested by the Sheriff's Office since 2007.
The most recent 911 call involving Hogan's Ewald Drive home remained part of the investigation, according to the Sheriff's Office.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Penfield man accused of killing his mother. What we know now
