By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — An Upper West Side man who nearly decapitated his elderly father before turning the knife on himself called 911 to report his own crime, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Julian Kurita, 33, was arraigned via video conference from the Bellevue Hospital psychiatric ward where he's been held since his arrest for allegedly murdering his own 70-year-old father, Fumitaka Kurita.
Police found a lifeless Fumitaka Kurita "on the floor, face up, bleeding from his neck and not breathing," according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said Julian Kurita had a history of mental problems, but did not elaborate. They said he brutally murdered his father, who was known as Frank, at their 175 West 87th Street apartment on Monday by slitting his throat although it it not known what drove him.
He was indicted and is scheduled to reappear in court Friday. He didn't enter a plea.
Police have not released any details about the events that lead to Frank Kurita's death, other than to say his son appeared to be mentally disturbed, and neighbors were at a loss to describe what could have sparked a confrontation between father and son.
A neighbor told DNAinfo that she believed Julian Kurita suffered from schizophrenia and that his mother had tried natural remedies to help him.
Messages left for Kurita's family were not returned.
