80-year-old killed over argument over preparation of Thanksgiving dinner

As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. A 65-year-old man accidentally killed his 80-year-old roommate during a kitchen argument on Thanksgiving.

The couple lived together for over 30 years and became roommates in the 90s. The two of them cooked on Thanksgiving, but Richard Lombardi asked the 80-year-old to stay away from the meal. He had a habit of sneezing, and Lombardi didn’t want it to get to the turkey.

He even set up a salt and pepper exclusion zone to keep him out of sneezing range. However, 80-year-old Frank Griswold couldn’t be stopped by salt, as he was neither a slug nor a demon, and broke through.

When Lombardi entered the kitchen, he caught the 80-year-old doing the Thanksgiving dishes despite his warnings. He grabbed it and threw it. The prosecutor reported that “Mr. Griswold’s feet became entangled and he fell and hit his head on the floor.” The results were fatal.

He immediately called emergency services. The courts reported that Griswald was found “lying face up on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.” In addition, “it appeared that the victim had suffered a broken nose and an injury to his neck.” He had died.

Lombardi devastated when his 80-year-old friend died on Thanksgiving

After the incident, Lombardi was arrested and Griswald was taken to the hospital. It was only later that he found out about the death of his 80-year-old friend during a small Thanksgiving argument. His lawyer said: “He is shocked because no one had told him his friend had died until I told him this morning. Of course that had a pretty devastating effect on his psyche.”

The courts ruled that this was “as close to an accident and no more than I have heard in a long time.” The devastating accident has just left a frail old man a little too badly affected. For someone that age, it doesn’t take much to push them over the edge. A small fall, bones break and life ends. This man will have to live in prison with the guilt of his friend’s death.