Duxbury son convicted in dad's death is sentenced. How much he will serve

BROCKTON — The 22-year-old Duxbury man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 drowning of his father has been sentenced to serve four to six years in prison.

Jack Callahan was 19 when prosecutors said he shoved the head of his 57-year-old father, Scott Callahan, under water multiple times in a Duxbury pond, killing him.

Callahan's attorney previously called the investigation "shoddy" and said the state didn't have enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Seven witness impact statements were read prior to the sentencing, including from Scott Callahan's sisters, Amy Callahan and Martha DeMarco.

"Our family will never be the same without Scott," Amy Callahan wrote in a letter read by Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fowle. "Our family’s entire future has been altered and we will never be the same."

Charlie Callahan, Scott Callahan’s son and Jack Callahan’s brother, spoke on behalf of his brother. He asked for Jack to receive a minimum sentence.

"We have already gone through enough pain and suffering," he said.

Fowle suggested Callahan serve no less than nine years and no more than 15 years in prison.

Judge William Sullivan sentenced Callahan to four to six years, with credit for the nearly three years he has been held awaiting trial.

Prosecution says Callahan killed his father during an altercation

Fowle said Callahan had a friend drive him to Boston with plans to pick up his father from a Boston hotel where he was staying. The friends found Callahan's father, who had problems with alcohol, at a Boston bar. The elder Callahan had been living at an assisted living facility in Hopkinton but had checked himself out.

Callahan and his father then took an early morning Uber ride to Island Creek Pond in Duxbury from Boston. Scott Callahan's sister, Martha DeMarco, testified that her nephew called her and said he was going to pick up his father, but later called her and said he was "missing."

Callahan arrived at his mother's Duxbury home around 2 a.m. in wet clothing, prompting her to call the police.

Callahan told police there was an altercation and his father hit him in the face repeatedly. The pair then ended up in the water. Officials found Scott Callahan in the pond with his suitcases floating nearby.

Defense said there wasn't enough evidence to convict

Attorney Kevin Reddington represented Callahan, who was 19 at the time of his father's death. He said there was no evidence proving that Callahan caused his father's death.

He encouraged jurors to “draw on life experiences and common sense” to consider whether the state met its burden of proof for first-degree murder.

“You have the ability to bring your life experiences into the jury room to decide whether the state has proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Duxbury MA man sentenced in dad's drowning death