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Teen charged with drowning alcoholic dad after seeing ‘demon’ in his eyes

A Massachusetts teenager is facing murder charges for allegedly drowning his alcoholic father in a pond to exorcise his demons.

Jack Callahan, 19, was indicted by a grand jury Friday in the death of his 57-year-old father, Scott Callahan, in Duxbury, just outside Boston, in June, Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz said.

Prosecutors say Jack had gone to Boston to retrieve his father from a bar after midnight June 28 and the pair took an Uber back home.

The father and son allegedly got into a physical altercation after the Uber driver dropped them off in the vicinity of Island Creek Pond.

Jack allegedly admitted to then submerging his father in the shallow pond.

The teen allegedly claimed he was “baptizing” his father after seeing a “demon” in his eyes, prosecutors said.

His father had recently been released from an alcohol abuse treatment center.

Jack allegedly left his father in the pond and returned home.

Police recover evidence at the scene.
Police recovered Scott Callahan’s body from the pond and reported finding Jack Callahan distraught and hyperventilating at home. NECN

The teen’s mother called 911 at about 2 a.m. to say her son was acting erratically and that his father was missing.

Police recovered Scott’s body from the pond and reported finding Jack distraught and hyperventilating at home.

A preliminary report from the medical examiner found Scott had “water-logged lungs” and an abrasion on his head.

Jack Callahan.
Jack has been held without bail since his arrest in June and will be arraigned at a later date. David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

His official cause of death is still pending.

Jack has been held without bail since his arrest in June and will be arraigned in Plymouth Superior Court at a later date.

His lawyer requested a mental health evaluation following his arrest.