Teen Stepson Faces Charges for Brutal Stepfather Murder at Staten Island Home

 After a peaceful Monday afternoon in West Brighton, a family was devastated by a cruel discovery. Damien Hurstel, 19, is accused by police of killing his 45-year-old stepfather Anthony Casalaspro and leaving him beheaded in their Staten Island home. He is also charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

After receiving a 911 call about a stabbing, officers were sent to 380 Cary Avenue just before 4:30 p.m. on Monday. When police arrived, they discovered Casalaspro unconscious in a bathtub, suffering from several stab wounds to his head and neck, with a knife still embedded in his body. On the spot, he was declared dead.

Investigators claim that when Hurstel's 16-year-old sister got home at around 4 p.m., she discovered blood puddles extending through multiple rooms. When she found her stepfather's death in the bathroom after following the trail, she called the police right away.

According to law enforcement officials, the victim was beheaded and the weapon was still in place when the police arrived, indicating that the stabbing had escalated into something much more brutal. Hurstel did not resist being taken into arrest at the scene. He was wheeled out of the 120th Precinct in a blood-soaked Tyvek suit after displaying minimal emotion at the moment of his arrest.

Authorities are looking into Hurstel's past mental health issues, but the motive is still unknown. Some sources allude to a confession in which Hurstel supposedly claimed an overpowering need to kill, while others mention a documented history of mental health problems.

Neighbors find it difficult to understand the evil occurring among them as the inquiry continues. "I saw the father, but never the stepson," said Hugh Nembhard, a longtime local who has lived across the street for 60 years. I am completely taken aback by this. "This whole world is upside down," moaned a neighbor. You would not do this to a human or even an animal.

The NYPD Homicide Division is currently investigating the matter, gathering evidence, and speaking with witnesses. Hurstel is scheduled to be arraigned shortly, but according to court documents, he might have had a seizure on the way, which would have caused a brief delay in the proceedings. 

The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities say more information will surface as they piece together how a family's living room turned into the scene of an unimaginable murder.