Wellesley man pleads not guilty to stabbing his father to death

A 24-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the stabbing death of his father at Wellesley Stadium on Thursday night.

James Floyd Bennett III was being held without bail after being charged in Dedham County District Court on Friday on one count of first-degree murder.

Many details about the alleged murder remain unclear. According to prosecutors, Wellesley police responded to a 911 call requesting assistance at Phillips Park on Maugus Street shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.

There, officers found a 58-year-old man with an apparent stab wound. First responders transported the man to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

While the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office did not identify the alleged victim in its initial statement or identify his relationship to James Floyd Bennett III, Boston Globe It was reported that the man who was stabbed was Bennett’s father, James Floyd Bennett Jr.

According to globeA witness saw the father and son playing soccer and discussing the World Cup before the elder Bennett screamed for help and said, “He’s stabbing me, he’s killing me,” prosecutors said in court Friday.

James Floyd Bennett III ran home, showered, put the knife he allegedly used in the trash, and took a photo of himself on his cellphone before going to the police station and turning himself in, prosecutors said. globe I mentioned.

James Floyd Bennett Jr. reportedly suffered approximately 20 stab wounds globe. The younger Bennett’s lawyer told the court that his client has a significant history of mental health problems, the newspaper reported.

Norfolk Probate and Family Court records indicate that the defendant’s parents went through lengthy divorce proceedings that began in 2011 and extended for approximately five years. James Floyd Bennett Jr.’s ex-wife later accused him of failing to pay child support and living expenses to their children as agreed to in the divorce settlement, although a judge ultimately dismissed the complaint, court records show.

James Floyd Bennett III’s next court date is a probable cause hearing on July 10.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work covers public transportation, crime, health, and everything in between.