Pleasanton man who allegedly butchered mom had ‘suffered 20+ years of verbal and emotional abuse,’ lawyer says

DUBLIN — The Pleasanton man who allegedly confessed to using three knives to “humanely” kill his mother, stabbing her with such ferocity that one of them broke, argued in court he was a nonviolent son who “suffered” from his mother’s verbal abuse for decades.

In a failed bid to get out of jail, the public defender for 31-year-old Malcolm Tilley argued that Tilley has “absolutely no history of violence” and wouldn’t pose a threat to anyone if he were freed back to his childhood home and equipped with an ankle monitor. Tilley allegedly stabbed his mother, 71-year-old Marjory Methvin Tilley, in their kitchen on April Fool’s Day during an argument, then walked to the police station to turn himself in and confess.

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“The police report indicates that leading up to this incident, Mr. Tilley suffered 20+ years of verbal and emotional abuse and attacks by Ms. Methvin Tilley. But, their arguments never turned physical in the past,” Assistant Public Defender Lindsay Lew wrote in court filings. “The details of the parent/son relationship and argument that resulted in Ms. Methvin Tilley’s passing is yet to be fully developed.”

In Tilley’s confession, he allegedly described his mother as a nag, stating she had issues with his current “financial” and “employment” status and challenged his “masculinity” and “worthiness to exist.” He said he had just returned from a trip to Safeway when the two argued and fought, and that he “won” by killing her “quickly” and “humanely.”

Police describe the crime scene as a veritable blood bath, with three suspected murder weapons and several stab wounds. Lew’s motion says that after the killing, Tilley threw up, took a shower and went to the police station to confess.

The motion says Tilley graduated from a local continuation high school and attended two community colleges, and that he has worked at Uber, Door Dash, Auto Zone and Applebees over the years. It says that in 2009, Tilley’s father died of cancer, which added to the tension of the already strained relationship with his mother. Methvin Tilley had also recently lost her job due to a “contentious” situation, the motion says.

“Family members who were interviewed by police knew that the relationship between Marjory Methvin Tilley and Malcolm was strained their entire lives,” Lew wrote. “The passing of Malcolm’s father was traumatic for both of them. The family knew that Malcolm always felt neglected.”

Judge Elena Condes denied the motion in late June, records show. Tilley remains jailed without bail and will be due in court next on July 23 for a pretrial hearing.