'Rudderless' Douglas Solomon who killed his mother before jumping to death said to have been depressed
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: The latest development in Douglas Solomon murder-suicide case suggests that the son of a retired New York State Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon, who oversaw several high-profile cases, showed signs of depression.
26-year-old Douglas attacked mother Diane Gallagher, 65, on the morning of July 19, inside their apartment on 180 E 79th Street. She was found dead in their Manhattan apartment with head trauma after her son bludgeoned her with a lamp. Later, he jumped to his death from the 16th floor of a 20-story apartment naked as he bled in the courtyard around 10.30 am, as per law enforcement sources. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. After doing a background check on Douglas, the police sources described him as “rudderless," as per NY Post. A former classmate from the Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn said, "He displayed a lot of signs of depression. He was not going out to clubs or doing much of anything. He was anti-social. I didn’t reach out to Doug but, after talking to some people from our Poly Prep friend group, it sounded like he didn’t want to be reached out to. You don’t want to ask what’s going on to a person who has nothing going on.”
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Adding further, the former classmate said, "We all loved Doug. But if he was still alive, and if we hit him up right now, he would probably be chilling in his room.” Douglas, who lived with his parents, dropped out of Rhodes College during his 2014-2015 freshman year and has no history of employment. He saw a therapist for a while after leaving college, as per reports.
"Doug could have had mental blocks in his head that slowed him down. Maybe he had a learning disability. I can tell you that he lacked confidence and did not want to be studious. College was not right for him," said the classmate.
'He was a talented athlete'
Douglas played basketball on the Poly Prep lacrosse team. The classmate narrated, "Doug would be on the red top [school basketball court] shooting baskets in the style of different NBA players. He amused people. In lacrosse, he was crafty and skilled. He had the whole look, the crazy flow, the lettuce in the back of his helmet. Doug flowed like the Mississippi. He had swagger on the field. That was his comfort zone. He was a naturally talented athlete but he did not push himself to the degree that he could have. He lacked drive.”
One of the staff members recollected how Douglas was made the captain of the team but was still an underachiever. “He was the most unmotivated,” the staffer explained, remembering the 6' 1-and-175-pound Douglas of that time, who had all the requirements needed for the field. “He was a big kid and a lefty, which is usually a good combination for scoring. But he just didn’t work hard even though it looked like he had talent. It was disappointing. "It was weird if questioned about a play, he wouldn’t even answer."
'His mom was uplifting'
Talking about hanging out at Douglas' home, the classmate said, “We would hang out at the apartment on East 79th Street. Doug was awesome back then. His parents were cool to be around. His mom was uplifting. She’d ask questions about your life and always offer food and beverages and be very attentive and really nice to us, always smiling. It was a great situation there. They were a great family. It’s hard to imagine where [the brutal murder of his mother] would come from. It doesn’t seem real. It really doesn’t.”
Another source, a friend of Diane, told NY Post, “I remember her having an adoring relationship with her son. She was so proud of him for graduating and getting into college. She spoke about him effusively and seemed to adore him.”
Meanwhile, according to police sources, Douglas spent his time smoking pot and drinking alcohol. His father Charles told authorities that there had been no history of domestic issues. However, the investigation is still going on to find the cause of the killing.