Man Beheads Mother With Saw, Kills Self In Southern California Home

LA HABRA, Calif. (AP) _ A man cut off his mother's head with a circular saw and then died trying to decapitate himself, authorities said. <br/><br/>Police answered a 911 report of a family dispute

Wednesday, May 9th 2007, 2:57 pm

By: News On 6

LA HABRA, Calif. (AP) _ A man cut off his mother's head with a circular saw and then died trying to decapitate himself, authorities said.

Police answered a 911 report of a family dispute at a home just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, entered a locked bedroom and found the body of 60-year-old Guadalupe Ruiz on a bed, La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said.

Arthur Ruiz Jr., 32, was on another bed with the saw nearby. He had died of neck injuries, police said.

It was unclear why Ruiz attacked his mother, police said.

A child and three other adults were in the three-bedroom home when police arrived. Several families rented rooms in the home, Knapp said.

A neighbor, Paula Sanchez, said she heard the saw before going on a walk but thought someone was doing work in the house or yard.

``If it would have been a gunshot or something, I would have called the police,'' she said.

Authorities said Ruiz pleaded guilty to driving drunk in 1999, was sentenced to 45 days in jail for being under the influence of drugs in 2000 and was given 18 days in jail for refusing to leave a home in 2004.

La Habra is about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles.