Mass. man kills elderly roommate for being ‘too close’ to Thanksgiving dinner

A Massachusetts man killed his elderly roommate on Thanksgiving for standing “too close” to the holiday spread because he “often sneezes,” according to reports.

Frank Griswold, 80, was going into the kitchen to wash dishes Thursday when his roommate Richard Lombardi, 65, fatally threw him to the ground, Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office alleged, according to court documents obtained by WCVB.

Lombardi, 65, and Griswold argued earlier in the day about the older roommate standing near the food as it was being cooked, the outlet reported.

In an interview with police, Lombardi said that Griswold “often sneezes” and he didn’t want anything to “contaminate the food.”

Leftovers were cooling near the sink of their Marshfield home when the octogenarian entered the kitchen to clean his dish.

Lombardi told police he returned to the kitchen and found Griswold “too close” to the food and shoved him away and “surmised that Frank Griswold’s feet got tangled up, and he fell and hit his head on the floor,” WCVB reported.

When the older man did not get up, Lombardi called 911.

An unconscious Griswold was found “laying face-up on the floor in the kitchen in a pool of blood” by first responders, prosecutors told the court, per the outlet.

The two roommates were friends for three decades and had been living together for more than 20 years, the outlet added.

Lombardi has been charged with assault and battery on a person 60 and over, causing serious injury, and involuntary manslaughters. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on Dec. 4.