Gay dads stabbed by adoptive son in Los Angeles home
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 10: An LAPD officer looks at a car at the unveiling of two new Ford Fusion hybrid pursuit-rated Police Responder cars at Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on April 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. The LAPD is committed to purchasing at least 300 hybrid and hybrid-electric plug-in vehicles by 2020. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
A gay couple was stabbed by their adoptive son at their home in Los Angeles and are now in critical condition, police told reporters on Tuesday.
The attacker was identified as 21-year-old Matthew Boulet, a college student who was spending time at home during the summer vacations. He was seen being led away by the police in handcuffs.
Officers said he admitted to the crime, describing him as cooperative, calm and “nonchalant,” local news channel KABC-TV reported. LAPD Lieutenant Mike Kozak told the press detectives recovered a pocket knife with a blade measuring between three to four inches at the scene.
Matthew Boulet was adoptive by the couple when he was a boy, neighbours told local media (Matthew Boulet/Facebook)
The police arrived at the home of Tom Boulet and Ken Coll around 1am (9am BST) responding to a report of assault with a deadly weapon. The two men were taken to a hospital where they underwent surgery for multiple stab wounds. CBS Los Angeles reported they are in critical condition but are expected to survive. Their son also reported a wound.
The stabbing followed an altercation between the parents and the son, but it is unclear what sparked the argument. There had been no previous reports of house calls made to the police, which will now investigate whether mental illness played a role in the crimes, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Coll and Boulet’s neighbors describe the couple, who had become grandparents last year after Coll’s daughter had a child, as loving parents very involved in the community.
“Tom and Ken have been very significant on our block, great models of parenthood,” Florence Riggs told KABC-TV. “Whatever happened with Matthew going over the edge like that—that it’s all going to be rectified in some way where everyone will heal,” the neighbour said.
Ken Coll (L) pictured with Tom Boulet (R) in 2017. The couple is in critical, but stable condition (Ken Coll/Facebook)
The attack shocked the quiet, affluent area. “It’s shocking, you never think about it,” Andre Saab told CBS Los Angeles. “As a dad, my own son to stab me? Wow.”
