An agreement between the state and defense called for David Streeter to be sentenced to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for funeral expenses.
Riverside police began an investigation on Feb. 9 when they were dispatched to a home on Robinwood Avenue and found a deceased body that had been beaten, the prosecutor’s office said. An investigation found that David Streeter, Donald Streeter’s adult son who lived in the home, had beaten his 69-year-old dad with a metal broom handle.
The defense team said in a sentencing memorandum that David Streeter has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Asperger’s Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Bipolar I Disorder.
The defense said authorities had trouble getting into the home when they arrived because “there were stacks of household items towering over them.”
“The home was so overly filled with items that small, narrow hallways were carved out to access other areas in the home,” the memorandum says.
“For David, maintaining a regular routine and schedule is very important. Although there was great effort to maintain a routine, his physical environment, his hoarded home, added to David’s anxiety,” the memorandum says. “The home was so filled with trash that the kitchen could not be used safely, causing the family to primarily order out, and the bathroom was covered with items that it was also unable to be of use.
“Although David had grown up living in these conditions, it only exacerbated his mental health diagnoses. Thus, on February 8, 2020, when Donald Streeter deviated from the routine that they normally followed, it upset David and he ended up beating his father with a broom.”
The defense said after the altercation, Donald Streeter asked for pain medication, and David Streeter got them for him and they prayed.
“David called his mother, who then told him to call police,” the defense memorandum says. “David feared going to jail and did not call police. Later in the evening, he called his mother again, who again instructed him to call police, however, he was still too scared.”
Police were called when the mother arrived back at the house in the morning, the memorandum says.
“This sequence of events was truly a tragic consequence of the long-term and tenuous family dynamics impacted by David’s medical and mental health issues,” the memorandum says.
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