The mother of a Carmel man accused of confining her with an extension cord before fatally stabbing his father testified as a witness for the prosecution April 11, describing the nine hours she spent bound and beaten as a prisoner in her home before her husband was killed.

Christopher Claerbout, 42, is on trial for murder, criminal confinement, domestic battery, intimidation and auto theft in Hamilton County Superior Court 2. His defense team is arguing that he is not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that his mental state had been deteriorating to the point he couldn’t tell right from wrong in the weeks leading up to the incident in the 3500 block of Rolling Springs Drive in Carmel on Feb. 21, 2022.

The defendant’s mother, Marcia Claerbout, testified that the day began like any other until her son, who did not live in the home, showed up unexpectedly in her bedroom as she was preparing to leave for the day, approximately an hour after her husband had left for work. She said the violence began when she left her bedroom to head downstairs.

“It was like I was hit with a wrecking ball,” she said. “I was shoved down the stairs. I went flying. I didn’t even feel my feet on the ground. I hit a wooden tree that was at the bottom. My head hit the wall and went into the wall.”

After her son came downstairs, she said he began ranting about conspiracy theories that lasted much of the day.

“He comes over and starts to pick me up and move me, and he informs me that I am now under arrest as a prisoner of war and I no longer have any rights as a human being,” Marcia Claerbout said. “At that time, I realized this was the day he told me about (when he previously said), ‘If I wanted to, I’ll kill you and Dad on the same day.’”

Marcia Claerbout said her son bound her with an extension cord, placed her in handcuffs and gagged her. He continued ranting throughout the day, she said, and beat her several times with brass knuckles, breaking a bone in her face and causing other injuries. At one point, she said he took her to his car so he could transport her to Guantanamo Bay, but after telling her they would need to grab her medications, he brought her back into the house, where they remained until David Claerbout returned home from work at 6 p.m.

As soon as her husband saw what was happening, Marcia Claerbout said he yelled, “Out!” to his son, and the two men walked through the garage outside. She said she began a “penguin walk” to head outside – still bound – when she heard a scream.

“I knew something horrible had happened. All I could do was try to get to (David),” Marcia Claerbout said. “I did eventually get outside. I saw him there on the drive, blood everywhere. I knew he was dead, but I didn’t want it to be true.”

Neighbors heard Marcia Claerbout screaming and rushed over to help, removing the extension cord, checking on her husband and calling 911. When paramedics arrived, they couldn’t find a pulse on David Claerbout, who had been stabbed more than 20 times.

During cross examination, Marcia Claerbout confirmed she first became concerned about her son’s mental health soon after his high school graduation but that she didn’t know if a medical professional had diagnosed or treated him. Because her son was an adult when he began showing signs of mental health issues, she said she was limited in what she could do, even when he claimed to have been molested by a family member as a child, and her husband shielded her from any details he knew.

“My husband kept me very protected,” Marcia Claerbout said. “He wanted me to know nothing.”

In his opening statement, prosecutor Joshua Kocher said Christopher Claerbout’s actions after the stabbing – attempting to flee the state in his father’s vehicle, leading police on a high-speed chase and running from law enforcement officers on foot – show that he knew his actions were wrong and thus should lead to a guilty verdict, despite his mental health challenges.

Christopher Claerbout is expected to take the witness stand later in the trial.