During game of catch, man confessed to killing his mother, friend testifies

TAMPA, Fla. - Josh Hofer says he tossed around a baseball with Joshua Carmona at a park and never suspected a thing. During that session of catch, Hofer said Carmona admitted something horrible.

Hofer testified in court Tuesday. Carmona is on trial for allegedly slitting his mother, Tahirih D’Angelo's throat before beating her with a baseball bat - just hours before meeting up with his friend.

Prosecutors say Carmona hid his mother's body in a downstairs bathroom and then drove to pick up his little sister from daycare.

Hofer says after the two tossed the baseball for a couple of hours, Carmona began spilling his secret.

"He gave me a hug before he left and then he said he killed his mother," said Hofer. 

Hofer said his friend didn't seem angry. However, lawyers say Carmona struggled for years with depression and isolation. Hofer confirmed his friend's struggles.

"Josh told me he wanted to kill himself that day at the park," recalled Hofer.

While Carmona was at the park, his grandfather, Robert D'Angelo unexpectedly showed up to the home and discovered Tahirih body in the bathroom under a comforter.

"I pulled back the comforter and could see blood," said D'Angelo.

The defense says Carmona suffered from issues of abandonment after his mother left him with his grandmother when he was a baby. Carmona moved in with his mother after his grandmother passed away, when he was 11 years old. 

If convicted of the charges, Carmona faces life in prison.