The son of a New York Supreme Court Justice, who is believed to have beaten his mother to death, was a drunk stoner who dropped out of college and whose parents feared for his future.
Douglas Solomon’s mother Diane Gallagher, 65, and his father Charles Solomon are said to have spoken out about their fears for their son’s future even hours before Diane was killed.
Douglas then jumped naked to his death from the 16th floor of his family’s apartment building.
The murder-suicide suspect looked like he was going nowhere, his father, esteemed ex-lawyer Charles Solomon, 76, told police, according to NBC New York.
After attending tony’s private school Poly Prep Country School in the leafy Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, upper middle class, the boy was hired as a lacrosse player at Rhodes College in Memphis.
NYPD believes Douglas Solomon, 26, (left) beat his mother Diane Gallagher, 65, (right) to death before jumping naked to her death Tuesday morning
Solomon and Gallagher (left) are pictured with Charles Solomon (left), a retired NYC Superior Court Justice Charles Solomon who oversaw many high-profile cases over his 30-year career
Gallagher (right) was found with multiple head injuries at the family’s home at 180 E. 79th Street on the Upper East Side
But Douglas eventually left and dropped out of the team before graduating about two years ago, and spent the next few years living at home in his parents’ apartment, smoking weed and drinking.
The son and father are not on good terms, the former judge told investigators, according to NBC; Ironically, it was his mother, Diane Gallagher, 65, who he was closest to.
The couple spoke about getting their son back on track, but it’s not clear if anything has been resolved.
Douglas Solomon’s body was found in the courtyard of the apartment complex (highlighted)
When Solomon went to work at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, he told police that both his wife and son were asleep in their beds.
Police believe Douglas hit Solomon Gallagher in the head with a bedside lamp sometime after that, according to the network’s partner.
The mother had sustained blunt force trauma to her face and head. She had a laceration on her forehead and behind her right ear, the broadcaster reported. Police officers told the station that she may have been choked as well. The lamp was found nearby.
Around 10:30 a.m., a neighbor heard an argument coming from the family’s home.
“I heard a few voices. I thought it was construction workers arguing,” a local resident told the New York Post. “I thought it was just people angry at each other.”
Neighbors mourned the loss of Gallagher (above), whom they described as an “amazing person”.
Then the occupants of the building heard Douglas scream as he fell to his death. Investigators told the newspaper his body was bruised as if he had squeezed through a narrow window.
Police found the young man’s naked body in the courtyard of the building.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that he suffered from depression or some other mental illness and used alcohol and weed to cope with his problems,” a friend told the New York Post.
‘[Him and his mom] always seemed to have a good relationship as others have said and i just wish things didn’t turn out the way they did because this is just a horrible thing for anyone to go through.
Neighbors mourned Gallagher, whom they described as an “amazing person”.
“A great mother, a great wife, a great everything and really a great friend,” a neighbor who visited Martine told the Post.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and that there was no history of domestic violence or mental health problems in the family.
Charles, who last worked for the Manhattan Attorney’s Office after retiring in 2017 after a battle with cancer, could not be reached for comment.
The judge, who served on the city’s Superior Court for three decades, oversaw the 2001 nightclub shooting trial for Sean Combs, better known as P-Diddy.
He was also the judge who heard the infamous Lorna Santiago murder case in 2010 and returned a guilty verdict against Michael Lenahan, who strangled Santiago to death and lay in bed with her body for two days.
Charles’ last high-profile trial came in 2017, when he approved a plea deal for one of the Russian prostitutes allegedly hired by former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whom the disgraced governor accused of blackmailing him.