Prison sentence announced for Denville, NJ man who killed mom, set home ablaze

DENVILLE — A township man who admitted to killing his mother and setting fire to the home they shared has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Anthony Citro, 43, was sentenced on Thursday, about a month after he had entered a guilty plea to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of his mother, 68-year-old Eileen Citro.

Charges originally included murder.

Mother's body was found during fire

Eileen's body was found while crews were battling a blaze on the morning of May 17, 2021, at the Citro home on Chestnut Hill Drive East.

Located on the kitchen floor, she had been stabbed multiple times, and police found two bloody knives near her body, according to the affidavit in the case. There were also signs of a struggle, with broken household items in the kitchen, the affidavit said.

Neighbors alerted police to the scene after hearing screams from the home.

Cops find son covered in blood

When officers first arrived on the scene, they found Anthony Citro outside the residence with blood on his clothing. After being read his rights, he reportedly repeated to police that his mother was dead and admitted to starting the fire, according to the affidavit.

According to documents in the case, neighbors told police that Anthony Citro appeared be under the influence of drugs at the time of the fire. He also has a history of mental illness.

The defendant must serve 85% of his prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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