Man convicted of manslaughter for fatally neglecting mother

FALL RIVER, Mass. – A Massachusetts man charged with neglecting his elderly mother so severely that she died has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

The Herald News reports that a jury deliberated for about nine hours before convicting 57-year-old Antonio Branco on Wednesday. He had been indicted on a murder charge.

The Fall River man faces up to five years in prison at sentencing next week.

Prosecutors say Branco’s 78-year-old mother was brought to the hospital last year malnourished, weighing 80 pounds and covered in bed sores. She died days later.

Branco was also charged with abusing his two intellectually disabled sisters. He was convicted of abusing one sister, and acquitted of abusing the other.

His attorney said Branco was a caring son in “a very difficult family situation.”

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Information from: The (Fall River, Mass.) Herald News, http://www.heraldnews.com