Wellsville man charged with trying to kill his 92-year-old father in hospital bed

Mike Argento, York Daily Record
·2 min read

A Wellsville man has been charged with trying to kill his 92-year-old father by smothering him with a blanket as he lay in a hospital bed, according to court records.

John Stoll Jr., 58, of Wellsville, was charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault after a witness saw him placing a blanket over his father’s face in his room at Penn State Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, East Pennsboro Township Police were dispatched to the hospital at 8:23 Sunday.

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When the officer arrived, according to the complaint, a hospital staffer reported seeing Stoll covering his father’s face with the blanket “in an attempt to kill him.” The staffer yelled at Stoll to stop, and he did, fleeing the hospital.

Township Police Chief Mark Green gave “kudos” to the hospital staffer for responding quickly to the situation, knowing how busy hospital staff are.

“The hospital staffer heard a commotion and went in the room while it was going on and prevented what obviously would have been worse than what he had,” the chief said.

The police officer found Stoll sitting in his truck in the hospital parking lot, according to the complaint.

At first, under questioning that was recorded, Stoll denied he was trying to hurt or kill his father.

Then, according to the complaint, he told the officer he indeed was trying to kill his elderly father. He told the officer that he held the blanket over his father’s face for about 30 seconds and that the elder Stoll was gasping for breath.

“Stoll admitted he was trying to kill his father,” according to the complaint.

Green said police are not sure why Stoll was allegedly trying to end his father’s life. “He was very vague,” Green said.

Stoll was placed in Cumberland County Prison on $250,000 bail, according to court records.

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at mike@ydr.com.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Wellsville man accused of trying to kill his 92-year-old father