Man murders 80-year-old roommate for sneezing close to his Thanksgiving food

Two men got involved in a fight over Thanksgivingdinner which eventually ended with the tragic death of one of them, who was 80 years old, in Massachusetts, US.

The fight broke out when 65-year-old Robert Lombardi pushed 80-year-old Frank Griswold for sneezing on his "holiday meal preparations" at their Marshfield home, after which Lombardi was accused of involuntary manslaughter.

A 911 call reporting was sent to Marshfield Police in which they were informed about an unconscious man who was lying on the floor of the kitchen.

When police officials reached the house, they found that the man was "bleeding from the head" and a laceration on his forehead and a fracture in his neck were also seen. The man was rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

Roommate 'sneezed' often, claims Lombardi

In the initial investigation, the police found that the roommate of the man pushed him after the two had a fight over a meal prepared on the holiday, and Griswold fell to the floor and his head was hurt, after which he became unconscious.

The roommate informed the police that he was cooking a Thanksgiving lunch and "got in an argument with Frank Griswold and that he did not want him in the kitchen touching the food."

Lombardi said his roommate "often sneezed" and he did not want him to "sneeze or contaminate the food" which was prepared for Thanksgiving.

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"He did see the victim, Mr. Griswold, near that food doing dishes, said that he went over and grabbed Mr. Griswold from behind, grabbed his back and threw Mr. Griswold to the right and tossed him to the side," said the prosecutor, while speaking to Mirror US.

Lombardi, who panicked after the man fell, dialled 911 and was taken into custody later.

The man was charged with assault, involuntary manslaughter, and battery on a person more than 60 and pleaded not guilty.

Since 2008, the two men had rented their Marshfield house, and they had been staying together since 2001.

The cause of the death is still being investigated by the authorities.

(With inputs from agencies)