Florida man severs his mother's head with an ax: police report

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida man confessed to decapitating his mother with an ax on New Year's Eve after becoming upset by her request to put some boxes into the attic of their home, authorities said. Christian Jose Gomez, 23, remained in jail on Friday, charged with first-degree murder in the grisly killing of Maria Suarez-Cassagne, 48, in the Tampa-area suburb of Oldsmar. Gomez repeatedly hit his mother with an ax, then dumped her severed head in a garbage can and left her body outside the home, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference. Gomez has a history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia, local media reported. He had planned the attack for two days, Gualtieri said. He fled the scene on a bicycle and was arrested several blocks away after his brother called 911 to report the death. It was not immediately clear if Gomez had an attorney. (Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Trott)