Man who 'murdered mum and stuffed her in box' may be freed over evidence glitch
A man accused of murdering his mum and stuffing her body in a box could walk free after an evidence mishap.
David Drummond, 30, is currently being held at Bellevue Hospital in New York City after he was moved from city Department of Correction custody earlier this month. A judge ordered he undergo a mental health evaluation, but he could soon walk free if he is cleared during an assessment by experts.
A source told the New York Post that authorities "didn’t have enough to indict him" and that he's "literally going to be in the community when we let him go." The source, a Bellevue employee, added: "We have no good option. He can’t stay in the hospital indefinitely, but it’s not safe to release him into the community."
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Awer's remains were found dead in apartment in East Flatbrush (Pix11/Youtube)Drummond is accused of murdering his mother Shirley Awer, 67. Awer's remains were found dead in an apartment in East Flatbrush shared by the mum and son.
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Due to the state of the decomposed remains, an autopsy has not yet made clear what Awer's cause of death was. Drummond allegedly told investigators he hit his mum, but another source familiar with the case said "There’s a possibility she died of natural causes."
They said: "The cause of death is unclear. Without an autopsy, they can’t confirm his statement that he hit her.
"It’s not typical for an autopsy to take this long, but the body was decomposed, so it’s taking longer." It is not yet clear when the autopsy will be complete.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said that without an autopsy report, the case has not been presented to a grand jury by prosecutors. A judge on November 9 ordered Drummond to be moved out of Bellevue - he is currently being held there in a civilian unit.
“We cannot keep potentially dangerous people indefinitely,” the Bellevue worker said. “Mental hygiene law is strict, and there is a high standard for involuntary commitment. The person has to present an immediate danger to keep them in the hospital – not just a potential threat."
They added: "So if someone is a danger to society, and they’re credibly accused of crime, then they should remain in [city Department of Correction] custody. The justice system and the court system, they’re dropping the ball... They are trying to brush this under the rug big time.
"It’s happened before where they have released someone who’s violent and put them on a civilian unit, compromising patients and staff, and passing the buck to hospital staff to keep them out of the community."
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