Family of slain Denville mother, in rare move, supports defendant at sentencing

The siblings of a 68-year-old Denville woman killed in 2021 at the hands of her son, who admitted last month that a mix of drugs left him unable to recall the incident, stood unified Monday in a rare show of support for the defendant, seeking the the most lenient sentence a judge could offer.

Though not unheard of, the compassion for 43-year-old Anthony Citro Jr. by his mother's siblings was seen as a rarity by veteran state Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor, who noted that the family's forgiveness "says something about the defendant and of the family's grace for humanity."

"It's far easier to condemn someone than to forgive them," he noted.

It was the family's pleas for a lesser sentence coupled with Citro's remorse, his character and attitude, his lack of criminal history and his mental health issues, spurred by the use of illicit substances, that led the judge to sentence the former professional chef to 17 years in state prison. Citro, who was initially facing murder charges in the brutal death of Eileen Citro, admitted last month to aggravated manslaughter, a first-degree crime.

The sentence was a slight departure from the 20 years prosecutors sought, but Christopher Schellhorn, a Morris County supervising assistant prosecutor, noted that it was a unique case since the victims had sought mercy for their nephew. He believed, however, that the two-decade sentence was appropriate because Citro had ingested illicit substances and should have known the risks it had to his mental state.

Citro, who was living with his mother in the Indian Lake section of the township, admitted he used a chef's knife engraved "Antonio" — he had trained at a prestigious culinary school in Italy — to stab his mother "dozens" of times in their kitchen on May 17, 2022.

A month before the killing, Citro was hospitalized and given Seroquel, antipsychotic medication used to treat mental and mood conditions, but he suffered adverse side effects, said Matthew Troiano, his attorney. In the days before the stabbing, Citro smoked marijuana that likely was laced with another substance, because it did not have the "normal effect" on him, Troiano said.

Instead of detoxing from the drug or seeking help, Citro took more Seroquel and "essentially blacked out" before he killed his mother, according to Troiano. A toxicology report showed that Citro had phencyclidine, or PCP, an illicit hallucinogenic drug, in his system at the time of his mother's death, prosecutors said.

'A loving person'

Citro "certainly knew" that his conduct caused his mother's death, because he admitted to first responders who arrived at the home around 7:40 a.m. that she was dead, Taylor said. But there were no signs he had planned to kill his mother, and his conduct appeared to be an aberration due to his intoxication with PCP, a powerful drug that Taylor said is known by doctors to cause people to act violently.

Mary Lynne McDermott, the eldest of Eileen Citro's eight siblings, spoke highly of her nephew, saying he was a "loving" and "jovial" person who was "very protective" over his mother.

Citro "has never been a violent person, so we can only view this as something so outside the normal behavior that we feel was drug-induced," McDermott said. "That is the only way we can rationalize what happened that day."

McDermott said she and her siblings have supported Citro while he has been in jail, sending him art supplies and reading books together. They anticipate the day he gets out of prison so they can help him integrate into society, she said.

Kathleen Eastman, another of Eileen Citro's siblings, said it was "impossible" her nephew would have knowingly killed his mother, with whom he shared a strong bond. Eileen Citro had become a bit of a recluse, she said, and Anthony Citro Jr. had tried to encourage her to spend time with family and had taken care of her.

"She would not have wanted him to spend 20 years in prison. I know that in my heart," Eastman said.

Eastman, who asked the judge for the shortest sentence possible, asked permission to hug her nephew, but was denied.

Citro, who wore a yellow short-sleeved jail jumpsuit with a face mask pulled below his mouth, apologized for the "grief and chaos" he caused.

"I lost my mother and my best friend," Citro said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I would never want to harm my mother."

Citro said he wished he could go back in time, but knows he will be "living this" the rest of his life, adding that he will "always love my mother, and I'll definitely miss her."

Citro was initially charged with weapons and arson offenses, but those were dismissed as part of the plea deal. First responders arrived at the Chestnut Hill East home after a caller reported seeing smoke billowing from the home, court records show. Citro was found covered in blood outside near a butane gas canister and allegedly admitted to setting the fire, before telling police his mother was dead inside, according to records. It was alleged the mother and son had been arguing before the killing, with signs of a struggle including broken household items. Police had never been called to the home on any prior occasions, prosecutors have said.

Eileen Citro suffered wounds of varying sizes and depth across her back and torso, prosecutors said.

Born in Montclair, Eileen Citro grew up in Parsippany and was a registered nurse at St. Clare's Denville Hospital for many years before working the last two decades as a pediatric ICU nurse at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, according to her obituary.

Anthony Citro Jr., who is an only child, will serve roughly 12 years and 10 months in prison before he is eligible for release on parole. Once released, he will be on parole supervision for five years.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Family of slain Denville woman supports defendant at sentencing