A Florida doctor who allegedly shot and killed his father has agreed to a plea deal that will place him on community control probation.
Dr. Rafael Azulay was charged with second-degree murder in the May 2018 shooting of his father. Authorities said the crime was an attempted murder-suicide.
Dr. Azulay was hospitalized and recovered from his injuries after shooting himself in the abdomen, according to NBC6.
Dr. Azulay also was facing charges of aggravated assault and two counts of battery after incidents with his mother and his girlfriend. He was out on bond for those charges at the time of the shooting.
Dr. Azulay’s mother claimed that her son never threatened her and that the shooting was accidental.
According to the terms of the plea agreement, the murder charge will be reduced to manslaughter with a firearm, and the assault charge will be dropped.
Dr. Azulay will spend two years on GPS-monitored house arrest with his mother. The manslaughter charge carries 10 years of probation, and he will receive credit for time served on the battery charges.
Hilliard Moldof, Dr. Azulay’s attorney, said his client is incompetent to stand trial.
“He could understand the ramifications of taking a plea, but in a trial he couldn’t,” Mr. Moldof told NBC6. “The experts said he couldn’t testify relevantly or assist a lawyer in his defense.”
Dr. Azulay also was forced to surrender his medical license.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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