A 24-year-old Texas man accused of stabbing his mother “multiple times” in Central Lubbock Thursday has been arrested and charged with murder.
On Aug. 10, just after 7 p.m., police responded to a domestic disturbance at a home near 20th and Toledo Ave. Officers arrived and found Peter Martinelli in the driveway of the home where they saw him running in an alley, then saw him go back inside the house.
Officers found Martinelli’s mother, 63-year-old Brigitte Curtis, in the backyard with serious injuries. She was later pronounced dead on the scene by EMS.
A witness told investigators Martinelli approached his mother while she was in the front yard, according to a police report. He was seen attacking Curtis and “making overhead strikes with a weapon.” When Curtis fell to the ground, Martinelli reportedly knelt over her and continued to attack.
Another witness stated Martinelli was spraying Curtis with a water hose after the assault. He then dragged her body over to the west side of the home. Police later found her in the backyard gate with a “large gash on her neck.”
While being taken into custody, officers saw Martinelli appeared to have blood on him.
He was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center and has been charged with murder. He’s being held on a $500,000 bond.
Curtis was a psychiatrist at StarCare Specialty Health System in Lubbock.
StarCare released the following statement:
StarCare is grieved to learn of the tragic passing of our long-term friend and colleague, Dr. Brigitte Curtis. Our hearts are broken, and our prayers go out to the many people who were so positively impacted by her. Please keep the Curtis family, Team StarCare and Dr. Curtis’ patients in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
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