What to Know
- The son of a retired Manhattan Supreme Court judge killed his mother at their Upper East Side luxury building Tuesday and then jumped to his death while his father was out, senior law enforcement officials say
- No motive for the murder-suicide has been speculated upon at this point; the son, Doug Solomon, had no prior criminal history and no prior domestic issues with his mother, the father told detectives, according to senior law enforcement officials
- Charles Solomon retired in 2018 after serving three decades on the bench, during which time he oversaw headline-making cases such as Sean "P-Diddy" Combs' 2001 nightclub shooting trial, as well as a case involving former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer and one of his mistresses
The 26-year-old son of a retired Manhattan Supreme Court judge allegedly bludgeoned his mother to death, possibly with a bed lamp, then jumped to his death from the family's Upper East Side luxury building in an apparent murder-suicide, according to two senior law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case.
The judge, Charles Solomon, told police he left for work around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the officials said. He said his wife, Diane Gallagher, and his son, Doug Solomon, were sleeping in their respective beds when he left their East 79th Street home.
Their bodies were discovered about two hours later after Doug Solomon jumped.
He had no history of criminal history and neither did his mother. Charles Solomon told detectives he and Doug were not close but that Doug was close to his mother, the senior law enforcement officials said. He also said he and his wife had discussed their son's future the night before.
It wasn't clear if that conversation could have led to a next-day argument between mother or son. No possible motive has been released.
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Charles Solomon told authorities his son struggled in college and dropped out, then got heavily involved in alcohol and marijuana in recent years, the senior law enforcement officials said. But he said there was no known psychiatric history around Doug and that his son was not on any prescribed psychiatric medication.
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And there were no prior domestic incidents between Doug and Diane, the officials say Charles Solomon told investigators.
They revealed chilling new details in the deaths on Wednesday, saying Diane Gallagher endured severe blunt force trauma to her head and face. She had a huge gash on her forehead and behind her right ear, the senior law enforcement officials said.
It appears there were signs of trauma that could have been caused by being choked or by extreme force to the skull, they said. A bedside lamp found in close proximity to her body is believed to be the murder weapon.
Doug Solomon jumped from a high altitude and was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday. The officials said there were multiple abrasions on him consistent with wounds he would have suffered as he tried to squeeze his body through a narrow bedroom window.
Charles Solomon retired in 2018 after serving three decades on the bench, during which time he oversaw headline-making cases such as Sean "P-Diddy" Combs' 2001 nightclub shooting trial, as well as a case involving former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer and one of his mistresses.
