Nathaniel Kay (Belmont Police Department).
A New Hampshire man is behind bars for confining and lengthily beating his own parents, Granite State police say.
Nathaniel Kay, 42, stands accused of two counts each of kidnapping, criminal restraint, and simple assault, as well as four counts of assault in the second degree, according to the Belmont Police Department.
The defendant was arrested on Oct. 15, according to jail records.
The victims are said to be Kay's 82-year-old father and 77-year-old mother.
The underlying incidents allegedly occurred earlier that same day and the day before – at a residence on Cotton Hill Road in the small town of Belmont, which is located some 40 miles north of Manchester.
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On Oct. 15, during the early morning hours, firefighters were first dispatched in response to reports of a fall, according to various charging documents obtained by The Laconia Daily Sun.
The 911 caller, identified as one of the victims, said two people had fallen down the stairs. The caller, however, was not sure if the other victim was still conscious or even breathing, police claim. Within minutes, firefighters called law enforcement, who arrived at the scene and learned about the allegations against the defendant.
The victims said the attacks went on for some 12 hours, only ceasing a few hours before the emergency call, police allege.
During the on-and-off incidents, Kay allegedly punched and kicked his parents, tied them up with a clothesline, and dragged them into the garage where the violence continued. Then, the defendant dragged his parents back into their house and beat them again, police say.
In the end, one of the victims convinced their son to allow them to call for an ambulance because of how bad off the other parent was, the charging documents allege. The victim said they were allowed to make the 911 call – with the caveat that the injuries had to be blamed on falling down the stairs, according to law enforcement.
Responding officers noticed visible bruising on one of the victim's eyes, as well as blood throughout the inside of the house, according to the charging documents. There were also tell-tale splotches of dried crimson on a pair of brown pants in a hamper, police claim.
The defendant's father later told police his son strangled him with a rope around his neck, according to law enforcement.
"It's definitely different," Belmont Police Chief Stephen Akerstom said in comments reported by Manchester-based ABC affiliate WMUR. "Usually, we'll respond to incidents like this, it's, you know, something has recently happened. Not over the course of 12 hours. That's really the difference here with this case."
Both parents were hospitalized, while the son was initially arrested on domestic violence charges before more serious charges were filed, police said. The mother was treated for a brain bleed; the father was treated for a broken nose and ribs, according to law enforcement.
The defendant is currently in preventive detention. Kay waived a probable cause hearing this week, the Daily Sun reported. No court date has yet been set as the case moves up to Belknap County Superior Court.
