Warrant: D’Aquila Admitted “Kicking Mom” to Death at Southington Home

Detectives said a conversation with New Britain resident James D’Aquila led to a confession that the 34-year-old man wrestled his mother, a Southington resident, to the ground on Feb. 4 and proceeded to kick her in the face five times with his black work boots.

In a warrant filed with New Britain Superior Court, Detective Lewis Palmieri wrote that D’Aquila, of 50 High St. in New Britain, waived his right to counsel and proceeded to open up about the confrontation he had with his mother. D’Aquila told police that a verbal argument turned violent and that he attacked his mother, 64-year-old Donna D’Aquila, and left her on the floor of her 59 South Road home in Southington.

“James told Detective Palmieri that on Friday night, he stayed at his mother’s house,” the warrant, which was unsealed on Friday morning, said. “He stated the next morning, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 at approximately 10 or 11 a.m., he argued with his mother.”

“He stated that he wrestled his mother to the floor of the kitchen in her home, he kicked her in the face five times with his black work boots, and left the residence with his mother’s vehicle. He stated that the work boots (were) in the apartment of his New Britain home and his mother’s care was parked nearby,” the warrant said.

D’Aquila is facing charges of murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery and third-degree larceny in the death of Donna D’Aquila, who was found dead at her home on Feb. 9. James D’Aquila was arrested the same day.

The warrant said police responded to the home around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, to meet Donna D’Aquila’s neighbor, Cynthia Holland, who had reported that she was not seen for several days and that she was worried about the cats.

Holland told police that another neighbor, Deanna Scaringe, told her that she had heard a lot of yelling and screaming coming from the South Road home on Feb. 4 and that the she was concerned about the well-being of D’Aquila.

When officers entered the home, they reported “smelling a strong odor” and after checking several rooms, they discovered Donna D’Aquila’s body on the kitchen floor behind the dining room table, with her head against a cabinet and her legs partially under the table.

“They knew immediately that this was suspicious and that Donna had been left in the home for an extended period of time,” Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma said late last week. “They were able to talk with neighbors and soon learned James was involved.”

Police describe graphic details of the scene in the warrant, which also indicated that officers knew immediately that there had been an attack and she was left dead.

Scaringe told police in a sworn statement that she heard a male’s voice yelling, but didn’t think anything of it. Scaringe said it was common to hear James and Donna D’Aquila yelling and that she assumed it was a situation where Donna D’Aquila was “taking her time” while James was in a hurry to leave the house. That’s when Scaringe heard banging.

“It was quick bangs. It didn’t sound like a two-by-four, more like a wiffle bat noise,” Scaringe wrote in her sworn statement. “(She) heard the noise about five times in rapid succession.”

When Scaringe saw Jame D’Aquila leave alone and put his bag in the car through the driver’s side door, that’s when she said she thought it was unusual. She told police D’Aquila would often put his things in the rear of the passenger side and his mother would get into the car. Scaringe said she never saw Donna and watched as James D’Aquila left alone.

D’Aquila is being held at the Hartford Correctional Center in lieu of a $1.5 million bond, according to state Department of Correction records, and is next due to appear in New Britain on March 12. He has not entered a plea in the case.

For more details, including a full copy of the warrant, click on the PDF under the image at the top of the page.