Son of Former Supreme Court Justice Kills Mother; Leaps Off Building to His Death

Retired New York State Supreme Court Judge's son killed his mother and later jumped off the building.

Douglas Solomon, 26, was found naked and severely bleeding after jumping from a 16-story building on East 79th Street at around 10:30 a.m.

On the other hand, Solomon's mother, Diane Gallagher, 65 years old, was found dead inside an apartment with head trauma.

According to the New York Police Department, both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Fox News reported that the residents heard the loudest thud and thought it was just an air conditioning unit, but the resident, who declined to share his name, looked down. Douglas was right below his window and was butt naked.

Residents heard arguing and yelling and thought it was just people mad with each other.

Police are now investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.

Son of a notable court judge

Douglas's father, Charles Solomon, was appointed to the Manhattan Criminal Court in 1986 and moved to the felony section in 1999, where he saw numerous high-profile cases. They include Sean Comb's 2001 night club shooting trial, gun busts for rappers Lil Wayne and Ja Rule, the 2010 trial of Michael Lenahan, who was convicted of strangling a woman and lying in bed with the deceased corpse for two days, and a plea deal for a Russian prostitute who saw former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, per Daily News.

In his retirement, Solomon worked as a part-time special assistant district attorney who trains junior prosecutors.

Solomon also worked hourly with the Bronx District Attorney's Office, but it is unclear if he still works there.

At 75, he was forced to retire in December 2017 due to a state-mandated age cap after nearly 32 years on the bench.

Unexpected incident

The residents were shocked by the incident as they know Douglas was quiet and he's the last person in the world you'd imagine to do such things.

The neighbor, who has known the family for 50 decades, was stunned at the violence, saying the judge is the sweetest guy in the world and must be surely devastated as Diane was a very gentle lady and active with the board.

The police said there was no history of domestic violence or mental health issues in the family, and no motive in the case has been related.

According to Daily Mail , Douglas attacked and beat his mother to death using a piece of furniture on Tuesday morning.

The witnesses told the New York Police Department that they heard Douglas screaming on his way down from the 16th floor of the 20-story apartment building before killing himself.

The police found the young man's naked body in the building's courtyard.