ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The next step in the case against a former Hagerstown man charged in the suffocation death of his father in Florida will involve turning the police investigation report over to the State's Attorney's Office, 6th Judicial Circuit in Florida, a St. Petersburg (Fla.) Police Department spokesman said Monday.
The States Attorney's Office, 6th Judicial Circuit, will determine how to pursue the case against Stephen Coffeen, 41, of Davis, Calif., Detective J. DeLuca said.
DeLuca said it is unclear when a trial might be scheduled, adding that it will probably be a "long way down the road." Coffeen is charged with murder in the second degree in the Dec. 18 death of his father, Robert G. Coffeen, 83, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The victim was found in his St. Petersburg home.
According to St. Petersburg police, the son claims he suffocated his father, a retired Shepherd College professor, in self-defense, The Associated Press reported.
