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Man charged with beating 92-year-old father to death, setting house on fire pleads mentally ill

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man charged with beating his 92-year-old father to death before setting his house on fire has pleaded guilty -- with a caveat.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man beat his 92-year-old father before setting fire to home, police say

Police said Douglas Novak attacked his father – Frank Novak – because he thought his father hid his cellphone. Novak allegedly confessed to police that he pushed his father, causing him to hit his head on the coffee table, and continued beating him for hours inside his Hempfield Township home.

Novak allegedly told police he thought if his father died, his phone would reappear.

Then after his father died, investigators said Novak tried to cover up the deadly beating by setting the house on fire. Emergency responders found the victim dead in his bedroom with cuts and bruises all over his body.

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Nearly a year later, Novak pleaded guilty to third-degree murder but mentally ill.

Defense attorney Brian Aston said there was a mishap with Novak’s medications, and his mental health issues took over.

Novak told a judge on Friday that he’s had these issues for nearly 20 years. He said he has been treated for bipolar and schizoaffective disorder, and he spent five months in Torrance State Hospital since the beating happened.

Watch the video above for Channel 11’s Melanie Marsalko’s full report from court.

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