Former Palm Beach Prosecutor Who Killed His Mother With a Crowbar Thought She Was the Devil, According to Report

The former Palm Beach County prosecutor who beat his mother to death with a crowbar thought she was the devil. Thomas H. Schnieders, 49, was arrested Tuesday night on first-degree and attempted first-degree murder charges after police say he killed his mother and almost killed his father in their Lake Worth home.

According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's arrest report, on Tuesday night, Schnieders attacked his 83-year-old mother and father in their home in the 5500 block of Lake Shore Village Circle in Lake Worth. Schnieders allegedly used a crowbar to hit his parents over the head. Schnieders' mother died in the attack, while his father played dead on the ground. The elder Schnieders would remain on the ground until police eventually showed up.

Police say the elderly couple were getting ready to go to church around 7:30 p.m. when they were attacked by their son. 

Schnieders, who police were told was schizophrenic by his brother, apparently severed the phone lines of the home when he discovered his parents had planned to take him to the doctor without his knowledge. That's when he beat his mother to death with the crowbar. When Schnieders' brother couldn't reach the family after calling several times, he flagged down a PBSO deputy, fearing something may have happened, the report says.

Police arrived on the scene around 10:45 Tuesday evening and saw Schnieders' mother lying in a pool of blood. There was also blood around the floor and on the walls and ceiling. 

Meanwhile, Gossip Extra reports that Schnieders' parents had him Baker Acted in 2014 after he assaulted his mother, claiming he believed she was a demon. According to the Baker Act report, Schnieders believed that he was the creator of the universe and that he "kills devils all day." The report goes on to say he believed his mother was the devil.

Schnieders was at one point an assistant Palm Beach County state attorney working for Barry Krischer between 2000 and 2004. Schnieders attempted to start his own law firm but wasn't successful.