CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A son has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the weekend homicide of his father, according to court documents filed in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations court.
Frank Altimari, 31, was arrested Saturday night in Richmond after his father Nicholas Altimari's body was found in the driveway of Nicholas' Midlothian home.
"The investigation indicates Nicholas Altimari was struck by a vehicle and with an ax," a Chesterfield Police spokesperson said.
Police were called to the Nicholas Altimari's Black Heath Road, off Old Buckingham Road, around 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 4.
"Upon their arrival officers located [Nicholas Altimari's] body deceased in the driveway," a Chesterfield Police spokesperson said. "An adult female on scene supplied police with suspect information. The adult female, who was also injured in the incident, was transported to an area hospital where she was treated and released."
During a Monday morning court hearing, it was determined Frank Altimari did not qualify for court appointed attorney due to his income.
When the judge asked if anyone could help him retain an attorney, Altimari said he did not know.
Altimari, who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2010, started working at Capital One in 2013, according to online profiles and court documents. He was ordered held without bail and is due back in court for an attorney status hearing on November 15. A preliminary hearing was set for December 12.
The suspect's late father -- 61-year-old Nicholas Altimari -- was a former federal prosecutor who most recently practiced law in the Richmond area.
CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone met Frank several years ago when he prosecuted a case alongside his father Nicholas.
"He struck me as a very nice polite young man, but it was many years ago, that's what it's all the more shocking to me," Stone said.
Stone said he and Nick won an award from the U.S. Attorney General for their work back in 1999.
"I saw him everyday for over a year," Stone said about Nick.
He described his former colleague as funny, compassionate and creative.
"He was a really good guy, open minded, kind person, forgiving person. I have to think there is some mental illness involved here because I just can't imagine this happening in this family," Stone said.
One of Rob Carter's most recent interactions with his 31-year-old neighbor Frank Altimari resulted in Altimari using Carter's phone to call his father.
"He'd locked himself out without his phone so he needed to call his father," Carter said.
As far as Carter could tell, the pair were close, so when we told him Chesterfield Police arrested Frank, he couldn't believe it.
"I still find the whole thing bizarre and abstract. I can't really process it," Carter said.
Court records show Frank Altimari also faced pending charges in Albemarle County involving assault and assault on law enforcement.
"It's a very sad thing for the family, it's a double tragedy for the family because I know Nick loved his son," Stone said.
Altimari's late grandfather, the Honorable Frank X. Altimari, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in the 1980s.
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