Police have arrested a Medford man for allegedly killing his mother.

Sean Farrell, 24, was arraigned in court this afternoon. He's charged with second-degree murder.

A special prosecutor accused the suspect of killing Bonnie Farrell-Connolly on Dec. 9 by hitting her in the head several times with an ax. The prosecutor said Farrell checked himself into Bellevue Hospital afterward.

Part of the prosecution's case comes from a written statement from Farrell's grandmother. In the statement, it says Farrell called his grandmother and admitted to the crime. He also allegedly said he was selfish and "should have killed himself."

Farrell's attorney says the suspect suffers from a form of schizophrenia.

His grandfather, Gene Dunn, says he wants his grandson in a hospital, not in jail. "The doctor took him off his medication and my daughter tried to get him back on his medication," he says. "People take this schizophrenia very seriously, it's a dangerous disease and we didn't know how dangerous it was, unfortunately."

Farrell is expected back in court next week. He is currently being held without bail.

If convicted, Farrell could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.