Neighbor charged in ex-con's slaying
A 71-year-old with a violent history allegedly was fatally beaten by a man who kept police at bay for four hours.
An ex-con with a violent history was beaten to death in Frankford, allegedly by his next-door neighbor, who held police at bay for four hours before his arrest Monday night.
Dallas I. Custalow, 71, of the 1300 block of Anchor Street, was pummeled repeatedly by Michael Bocchinfuso, 44, who also struck him with a trash can and a shovel before Custalow collapsed inside his home about 8 p.m., police said.
Bocchinfuso faces charges of murder and related offenses, police said. According to court records, Bocchinfuso has been arrested several times but never convicted.
Neighbors called police after hearing screams. When officers arrived, they found Custalow unresponsive on his living room floor, said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman. Police began cardiopulmonary resuscitation until medics took over and rushed Custalow to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus, where he was pronounced dead at 8:31 p.m.
Neighbors pointed police in the direction of Bocchinfuso, who authorities said had run into his home and refused to come out. Bocchinfuso and Custalow knew each other well but did not have the best of relationships, said homicide Capt. James Clark.
"I don't know what transpired for it to go bad like this," Clark said.
Custalow had a lengthy criminal history that included murder, rape, escape from prison, robbery, and burglary, mostly from his younger years. His most recent arrests included drunken driving in 1991 and simple assault in 1992.