WALTHAM — A visibly distressed Philip Horner was held up by court officers Thursday during his arraignment on charges of repeatedly stabbing a 60-year-old tow truck driver whose vehicle had somehow crushed Horner’s mother at a busy Watertown intersection Wednesday morning.
Horner, 38, wore a gray hospital gown and was slowly lowered to the ground at one point during the brief hearing in Waltham District Court. He made what appeared to be gurgling sounds near the end of his arraignment on charges including armed assault with intent to murder.
A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and he was held without bail and sent to a secure facility for a mental health evaluation.
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Court records made public after the arraignment show that an eyewitness cellphone video captured Horner’s alleged attack on Thomas P. Fogerty, 60, of Quincy, near the intersection of Watertown and California streets.
Horner, of Belmont, flew into a rage after his mother, Benita A. Horner, 68, was killed after becoming pinned under the rear wheels of Fogerty’s truck, court filings show.
The witness’s video showed a screaming Horner initially swinging his arms and “assaulting Mr. Fogerty about the face and body” inside the truck, a police report said.
Then, Horner came down from the vehicle and began crawling on the ground, screaming “no no no” while Fogerty said, “I didn’t see anything” and exited the truck, the filing said.
Horner then removed a knife from his fanny pack, turned toward Fogerty, and stabbed him multiple times, including one blow directly into the older man’s back that Horner “plunged into him and then twisted with force,” the report said. The video captured Fogerty falling to the ground and again saying “I didn’t see anything” and “come on man,” according to the filing.
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The same witness who shot the video told police there had been a “truck versus pedestrian accident” involving Fogerty and the Horners, the report said.
Benita Horner was pronounced dead at the scene, and Fogerty was rushed to a Boston hospital, where he was in critical condition Wednesday night. Officials said he was still hospitalized Thursday.
Horner also told police at the scene, “he ran over my mother, he ran over my mother” and initially resisted arrest, court records show.
Authorities haven’t released details on how Benita Horner, who shared a residence with her son in Belmont, became trapped under the wheels of the truck. Fogerty has not been charged with any crimes or cited for motor vehicle violations.
Investigators said Wednesday that the tow truck struck and killed Benita Horner as she tried to cross Route 16 with her son at Galen Street around 11:20 a.m.
On Wednesday afternoon, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said at the scene that Philip Horner stabbed Fogerty approximately five times in the torso.
Horner was taken to a hospital after the violent encounter for unspecified reasons, and on Thursday court psychologist Rosemary Klein evaluated him at the courthouse before his arraignment.
She testified Horner had “a hard time being able to speak” about the legal proceedings and was struggling with memory, suicidal thoughts, and severe depression, limiting “his ability to assist his attorney.”
In addition, she said, Horner had been banging his head at the hospital Wednesday night. She recommended a more extensive mental health evaluation at a secure facility, which the judge agreed to.
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Horner is due back in court Oct. 10.
Prosecutors did not discuss details of the harrowing case in court, and relatives of Horner declined to comment after the arraignment. “Step off,” one male relative of Horner said as he left the courthouse. “Back off, back off, back off.”
Horner’s court-appointed lawyer, Nicholas J. Louisa, declined to discuss the allegations or his client’s mental health during brief remarks to reporters after the hearing.
“I would just say that Mr. Horner and his family [have] asked that the media please respect his privacy,” Louisa said. “They did just suffer a tragic loss of life of a family member.” Louisa said Horner will “be able to receive the medical attention that he needs” at the secure facility.
Attempts to reach Fogerty’s relatives for comment were unsuccessful on Thursday.
Danny McDonald, Emily Sweeney, and John R. Ellement contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.