'Go check on father': Schizophrenic Indian-origin man in Illinois tells mom after killing dad; calls murder 'religious duty'

Abhijit Patel, a 28-year-old Indian-origin man in Illinois was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after his father was found dead at their family residence over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Patel killed his father, 67-year-old Anupam Patel, with a sledgehammer on November 29. When police appeared at the scene, Anupam Patel was unresponsive in his bedroom with severe head injuries and was pronounced dead later. The sledgehammer was found near the victim's bed. Abhijit surrendered to the police and the court was informed that he had a history of mental health issues. He was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and was hospitalized for treatment.

At the time of the murder, he was barred from contacting his father as he had made threats to kill his father earlier too. After the arrest, he told the police that he had a religious duty to murder his father because his father purportedly abused him when he was a child.

According to reports, Anupam Patel was a diabetic and his wife used to monitor his glucose level via an app. Every morning, Anupam used to send her his blood scugar level but on that day, she did not receive any update.

When she was at work she panicked when she found out that her husband's glucose levels were dropping. She called and when no one picked up the call, she went back to her residence to find his son who told her to go and check on the father.

"I have taken care of him," Abhijit said. The court was informed that Abhijit Patel displayed many disturbing behavior in past owing to which he was banned from his university campus. In November 2024, he allegedly made concerning comments on social media and in group chats to his fellow students at the University of Illinois Chicago. He was banned from campus until he was evaluated by a psychiatrist.