CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man is in jail for allegedly killing his mother.
Police say David Michael Lombardo, 43, murdered his mother by asphyxiation and moved her body, placing “it neatly in the bed with her face in the pillow.”
Lombardo was arraigned Monday on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and strangulation, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and recklessly endangering another person.
He is being held in the Clearfield County Jail, without the possibility of bail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police were called to the scene on Friday morning. Reports were that a 69-year-old woman, Paula Lombardo, was “ice cold and as stiff as a board.”
She was found lying on the bed in her room with her face down in the pillows and her feet hanging off the bed. Her right arm was under her body and her left arm was in a bent position to the side.
Investigators observed an impression in the bed to the left side of the victim, which appeared to have been made by a hand and knee being placed on the bed.
After the coroner arrived at the home, she was rolled over on to her back.
“Lividity was present on her neck, face and stomach,” it says in the criminal complaint.
An autopsy was conducted on Saturday at Mount Nittany Hospital by a pathologist who reported that there were petechiae on the eyes, lungs and heart, indicating asphyxia. There was no anatomic cause of death.
The victim had a hemorrhage on her brain stimulator and she had eaten two to four hours prior to her death.
Witnesses in the home stated that the previous day, Paula was not having any medical complications, and was alert and active. She was seen eating dinner around 5 p.m.
One witness said she returned to the residence at approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday and made contact with David and another woman in their room.
About an hour later, she went up to her room, and looked into Paula’s room where she saw her lying in the middle of the bed, dressed, with her head, which was turned to the side facing the closet, in the pillows.
David told investigators that he woke up at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, March 15 and spoke with his mother. He claimed she was seated in her rocking chair.
Shortly after 7 a.m., a caregiver arrived. She told police she yelled to Paula, asking if she needed anything. After she did not get a response, she went into Paula’s room and saw her on the bed.
This witness also said Paula was positioned in the middle of the bed, clothed and wearing sneakers. Usually she was laying or seated on the floor and the TV is always on when she arrives in the morning. That morning television was off, she told police.
She sat in the rocker and spoke to Paula telling her that it was time to get out of bed. After she realized Paula was not breathing, she walked over to her. When she touched Paula, she was “cold and hard.”
She alerted David that his mother was not breathing. He responded that he had to go to the bathroom first and about five minutes later, he went into Paula’s room.
He rubbed her back, checked for a pulse, and stated she was cold. He walked away and told the caregiver to tell another resident, who then called 911.
When police arrived, the victim was not in the same position described by two of the witnesses. One witness stated only David was in the room after she left it.
Two witnesses said Paula was not able to get to the middle of the bed herself. One of them mentioned that to David before leaving him alone in the room.
Officers noted in the report that David “showed no emotions regarding the passing of his mother.” However, he did question them about how he could get the death certificate for the purposes of her life insurance and bank account, according to the criminal complaint.
Based on the estimated time of death being between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, investigators determined that after she died, she was put in the middle of the bed. Later, David allegedly moved her into the position she was found by authorities.
David Lombardo is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 27 during centralized court at the county jail.