Upper Darby man who stabbed junkie son is freed

Lawrence Dugan Sr. left Delaware County Court yesterday a free man, having already served the one-month sentence he received for nearly stabbing his heroin-addicted son to death.

But his new-found freedom may have less to do with escaping a lengthy jail term and more to do with a particular condition of his sentence - he's no longer allowed contact with his son.

On an August morning last year, Dugan Sr., 54, prayed over his sleeping son, 25-year-old Lawrence Dugan Jr., at the Upper Darby apartment the two shared. He then made the sign of the cross and drove a six-inch knife into his namesake's head, back, chest and stomach.

"I went nuts. I started hacking at him and screaming, 'You ruined my life!' " Dugan told Daily News columnist Jill Porter when she visited him at the Delaware County Prison in October.

According to Dugan, his ex-wife, daughter and Upper Darby Police, Dugan Jr. was possessed by a nasty, decade-old heroin habit that led him to steal, pawn and destroy his father's life and belongings.

"I think my son is evil, is what it comes down to," Patricia Dugan, Dugan Sr.'s ex-wife, previously told the Daily News.

After finding heroin in his home and hearing his son threaten to kill cops, Dugan Sr. went to police, but there was little they could do. The next morning, after finding a heroin needle in the bathtub and seeing his son passed out, Dugan Sr. made the decision to end his son's tortured life.

Originally charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other violent crimes, those charges were dropped at the preliminary hearing because the younger Dugan refused to testify against his father, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

"So what we worked out was a deal to get him held on some type of charge," Chitwood said.

That deal included Dugan's assurance that he would plead guilty to charges of simple assault and possessing instruments of a crime.

"At the end of the day, I think justice has been served," Chitwood said. "The father, even though he was the stabber, he was not the villain in this case."

Dugan Sr. has been fully cooperative with authorities since moments after the crime occurred, his lawyer, Harry Kleinman, said.

By his side at previous court dates were his daughter, Melissa, and ex-wife, Patricia, who were absent in court yesterday. Kleinman said they didn't feel it necessary to attend since he wasn't facing an additional prison sentence.

As part of his plea agreement, Dugan was sentenced to 30 days to 23 months in county prison, 56 hours community service and one year probation, with the condition that he has no contact with his son at any time while under supervision.

Dugan Sr., who served more than three months in prison before posting bail, received credit for the time he served.

"However serious the nature of this activity is I think everyone recognized the mitigating circumstances Lawrence Dugan Sr. was dealing with without necessarily condoning his behavior," Kleinman said.

Lawrence Dugan Jr.'s lengthy criminal history, which includes cases of aggravated assault, harassment and even a stabbing in Upper Darby, only grew longer after he recovered from his injuries.

According to court records, Dugan Jr. was arrested again in December on 24 theft-related charges, including bad checks, forgery and receiving stolen property. He remains at the Delaware County Prison on $35,000 bail.

"Junior is a bad guy. You name it, he's done it," Chitwood said. "Junior is not an innocent victim in society. He put that family in fear."