STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New details emerged Tuesday in the case of a West Brighton man found decapitated inside his home, while sources say the 19-year-old who is suspected of carrying out the heinous act has a history of mental illness.
The victim, 45-year-old Anthony Casalaspro, was a retired Department of Sanitation mechanic who lived at the home on Cary Avenue with his longtime girlfriend and her two children, namely the suspect and his sister.
The suspect, Damien Hurstel, was arrested Monday at the home. His sister discovered the victim’s mutilated corpse in the bathtub when she returned home from school.
New details paint gruesome scene
A photo of the crime depicts a particularly gruesome scene.
It showed the victim’s shirtless torso in a bathtub, slumped between a tile wall and sliding glass door. A handheld shower head rested on his chest.
His head was severed from his neck and positioned under his right arm, facing toward his body. His right arm was positioned in an upward pointing motion and his left arm rested at his side.
Investigators believe that during and after the slaying, Hurstel employed the use of bolt cutters, a hacksaw, a hammer, a knife and a spoon, according to a law-enforcement source.
In the photo, the saw could be seen placed neatly on the floor alongside the bathtub. The hammer, it seems, was used to gain access to the victim’s brain, while the spoon was used to scoop out pieces of brain matter, the source said.
History of mental health woes: Source
Hurstel lived at the home with his biological mother, who was the victim’s longtime girlfriend, and his sister.
A source with knowledge of the case said Hurstel had been hospitalized in the past for mental illness, and that at the time of the slaying he was prescribed anti-psychotic medications, which commonly are used to treat schizophrenia and other conditions that involve psychosis.
In the days and weeks leading up to the homicide, family suspected he was on and off his medications, something they could keep a closer watch on prior to him turning 18, the source noted.
Hurstel, who attended South Richmond High School, worked odd jobs as a young adult. One source described domestic arguments at the home leading up to the fatality.
The morning after Casalaspro’s death, neighbors recalled seeing the victim on the block. “We see him every now and then sitting on his balcony in a chair,” one neighbor said. “He kept mostly to himself.”
Suspect bloodied, carted off to hospital
Hurstel was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday in Criminal Court, but instead was brought out of the 120th Precinct stationhouse with a bloodied face for reasons that were not immediately clear. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
The defendant, who is being represented by private defense attorney Mark Fonte, is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday.
His maternal uncle, who was at the courthouse Tuesday awaiting the arraignment hearing, declined to comment.
Suspect ‘calm and respectful’ with cops: Neighbor
As emergency crews responded Monday, residents described a dramatic scene as family members first learned of the man’s death.
One neighbor said she saw an adult woman “crying and throwing up” in the street outside the home, shouting “He’s dead!”
As first responders arrived, the woman told EMS personnel “the head is in the tub,” the neighbor recalled.
Other residents told reporters they saw police take Hurstel into custody, saying he had blood on his face and boots. They noted he was “calm and respectful” with police.