James Floyd Bennett III pleaded not guilty after being held without bail in Dedham District Court on a first-degree murder charge tied to the stabbing death of his father on a Wellesley playground.
By Thursday evening, a Wellesley playground had turned into a crime scene.
James Floyd Bennett III, a 26-year-old man, pleaded not guilty on Friday in Dedham District Court to one count of first-degree murder. He was held without bail following his arraignment, after police responded to a 911 call for help at Phillips Park on Maugus Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
Officers found a 58-year-old man with an apparent stab wound at the park. First responders rushed the man to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office did not identify the alleged victim in its initial statement or specify his relationship to Bennett III. But The Boston Globe reported that the man stabbed was Bennett III’s father, James Floyd Bennett Jr.
Prosecutors told the court that. before the stabbing. a witness saw the father and son playing soccer and discussing the World Cup. The witness’s account continued into what prosecutors described as a sudden. terrifying break in the ordinary scene: the elder Bennett screamed for help and said. “He’s stabbing me. he’s killing me.”.
After that, prosecutors said Bennett III ran home, showered, put the knife he allegedly used in the garbage, and took a photo of himself on his cellphone. Prosecutors said he then went to the police station and turned himself in.
The Boston Globe also reported that Bennett Jr. had about 20 stab wounds.
Bennett III’s attorney told the court that his client has a significant history of mental health issues, the newspaper reported.
The case also has ties to family court history. Norfolk Probate and Family Court records indicate that Bennett III’s parents went through protracted divorce proceedings beginning in 2011 and spanning nearly five years. The Globe reported that Bennett Jr.’s ex-wife later accused him of failing to pay child support and living expenses for their children as agreed upon in the divorce settlement. Court records show a judge ultimately dismissed the complaint.
Bennett III’s next court date is a probable cause hearing scheduled for July 10.
Wellesley Dedham District Court Phillips Park Maugus Avenue first-degree murder James Floyd Bennett III James Floyd Bennett Jr. stabbing mental health history probable cause hearing