Police need six months to determine what caused killed self-proclaimed scientist Frank Russo before pursing son’s murder case
Police need six months to determine how and why self-proclaimed research scientist Frank Pio Russo died before pursuing a murder charge against his son, a court has heard.
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Police need six months to determine how and why self-proclaimed research scientist Frank Pio Russo died before pursuing a murder charge against his son, a court has heard.
On Monday, Joel Michael Russo, 35, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court accused of murdering his father in their Paradise home last week.
Russo, 65, who claimed to have a cure for diabetes and said he could halt the ageing process, was found inside his Urban Ave house and died despite the efforts of paramedics.
He was a regular blogger who, in his final online post, claimed he was being targeted by the CIA and MI6 for expressing negative views about the intelligence agencies.
On Monday, counsel for Joel Russo said their client would not be seeking bail.
Senior-Sergeant Fred Wojtasik, for police, asked for a six-month adjournment in order to prepare a brief of evidence for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“The post-mortem has already been done but there’s a further issue in identifying the cause of death … currently, the situation is it’s multifactorial,” he said.
In medical terms, a condition or incident that is multifactorial involves or is dependent on a number of factors, including genetics and the surrounding environment.
“We understand that some of the material will be taken interstate for examination,” Sen-Sgt Wojtasik said.
“The report that comes back will give some clarity to the cause of death.”
Magistrate Greg Fisher granted the adjournment and remanded Joel Russo in custody.
Outside court, a woman who identified herself as Joel’s mother and Mr Russo’s ex-wife, but did not give her name, said she could not comment on the allegations.
“I really have no idea … he’s not said much at all,” she said.
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