Camden Nicholson, 34, is accused of murdering his parents, Kim and Richard Nicholson, and their housekeeper, Maria Morse, in their California mansion on Valentines Day in 2019
A former Mormon missionary stands accused of embarking on a horrific killing spree, allegedly murdering his parents and their long-term housekeeper – before purchasing sex toys and ribs.
Camden Nicholson, 34, entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of his parents, Kim and Richard Nicholson, as well as their housekeeper, Maria Morse, in their £6 million California mansion.
The grisly killings took place in the family’s posh, gated community in Bonita Canyon. Lawyers revealed in court on Monday that Nicholson was discharged from a mental health hold against medical advice just hours before the alleged killing spree.
Prosecutors further claimed that Nicholson stabbed his parents with knives and bludgeoned them with blunt objects on February 14, 2019, before taking Morse’s life the following day. The trial began this week.
As reported by Mercury News, prosecutors allege Nicholson walked to his parents’ home and lay in wait for them inside after being released from the hospital psych ward, reports the Mirror US.
He is said to have attacked his father first upon his arrival home, moving his body into a small bathroom and using a towel to stem the blood flow as he continued to slash at his body, according to the Daily Mail. Nicholson then reportedly waited hours until his mother arrived home, before allegedly stabbing her in the garage.
The accused allegedly waited for Morse, the housekeeper who was like a ‘second mother’ to him, before slitting her throat in their kitchen the day after the murders.
Prosecutors claim that Nicholson then went on a spending spree using the victims’ credit cards and vehicles. Among his alleged purchases were marijuana from a dispensary, sex toys, lube, and ribs from a Gelson’s supermarket.
He turned himself into the authorities the next day, confessing to the killings but claiming it was in self-defence.
Nicholson’s defence lawyer, Richard Cheung, told jurors about his client’s history of psychosis, depression, and paranoia, which had resulted in several hospital admissions over the years.
Cheung said that Nicholson’s mental health problems began seven years before the murders while he was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After leaving his missionary service and dropping out of university, Nicholson stopped taking his medication when he moved in with his parents, believing it was poisoning him.
In December 2018, three months before the murders, Nicholson disappeared from his parents’ home and sent disturbing messages to acquaintances, according to his lawyers.
This led his parents to cancel his credit cards and urge him to seek mental health help; he was eventually admitted to a hospital under a mental health hold on February 5, 2019.
Nicholson remained under the mental health hold until February 11, during which time he informed doctors that his parents were ‘satanic’ and would ‘try to find me and classify me as insane’.
While in hospital, the then 27 year old Nicholson was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Prosecutors revealed that doctors were wary about releasing him when he was discharged.
Following the gruesome murders, which took place over several days, Nicholson turned himself in and told police to check his parents’ home, stating: “There is a triple homicide there, motherf***er,” according to prosecutors.
When an officer questioned him about his parents and their housekeeper, Nicholson bluntly replied: “They are dead, man.”
Nicholson’s trial is ongoing and will be split into two phases due to his attempt to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. The first phase will focus on determining his guilt, while the second will examine his mental state.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .
#Mormon #son #accused #murdering #parents #housekeeper #buying #sex #toys