Police: Former federal prosecutor killed by axe-wielding son

CHESTERFIELD, Va. – Authorities say the son of a former federal prosecutor used an axe to kill his father.

News outlets report 61-year-old Nicholas Altimari was found dead Saturday at his Chesterfield, Virginia, home.

Police say 31-year-old Frank X. Altimari was arrested in Richmond the same night and charged in connection with the slaying. Authorities believe he hit his father with a vehicle, then struck him with the axe.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office says Nicholas Altimari served the eastern district of Virginia as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1992 to 2003. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the suspect’s late grandfather, also named Frank X. Altimari, served on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

It’s unclear what prompted the violence, or whether the suspect has an attorney.