Zoom call catches a murder cover-up after naked son stabs father, New York police say

A man on a Zoom video meeting with about 20 other people Thursday was fatally stabbed by his son, according to New York police and media reports.

The incident occurred Thursday around noon at a residence in Long Island, according to WABC. It resulted in the death of 72-year-old Dwight Powers and the arrest of his son, Thomas Scully-Powers, the TV station reported.

People on the Zoom call saw the father fall off the video screen and “heard heaving breathing,” according to the New York Daily News. A witness told WCBS he saw a naked man put a bedsheet over something on the ground and then cover up the camera.

It’s unclear if anyone on the video call witnessed the start of the attack.

Several participants of the video meeting called 911, but police were delayed getting to the residence because the callers didn’t know where the victim lived, according to Newsday.

When police arrived, the son answered the door but quickly slammed it and fled the home through a window, WABC reported.

Scully-Powers was caught about a mile away from the home around 1 p.m., the New York Daily News reported. Police have not established a motive for the alleged attack, but the man is facing a second-degree murder charge, according to the outlet.

The son was hospitalized Thursday due to minor injuries from jumping out of the window, the Associated Press reported.

Police credited the people on the video call who quickly alerted authorities that something was wrong.

“They all did the right thing,” Suffolk County Police Det. Kevin Beyrer said, according to Newsday. “They were all concerned about their friend. It was horrible they had to witness this.”

The knife used in the attack has not been found, as police were waiting Thursday to obtain a search warrant, the Daily News reported.