Susan Baratto’s family remembers a nurse, traveler and grandmother as her son faces a first-degree murder charge in her death.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Before Susan Paige Baratto became the victim named in a Palm Beach County murder case, her life revolved around family, tennis, books, theater and travel, according to relatives and friends now remembering the 77-year-old after her death at her west Delray Beach home.
Baratto died Sept. 11 after suffering apparent stab wounds inside the residence she shared with her son, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and local news reports. Her son, Alexander Harrington, 50, was arrested that afternoon and charged with first-degree murder. Deputies say Harrington contacted law enforcement and reported that he had killed his mother before they arrived at the house on Monterey Lane. While national attention later centered on Harrington’s online identity as a life coach and his recent posts about forgiveness, the homicide also left Baratto’s family and friends mourning a woman whose history extended far beyond the circumstances of her death.
A family memorial says Baratto was born June 15, 1949, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and later trained as a registered nurse at the Radcliffe in Oxford, England. Her relatives described her as curious, social and active. She played tennis frequently, read widely, participated in book clubs and enjoyed poetry, gardens and live performances. Travel, particularly to Europe, was another major part of her life. Shortly before her death, the memorial says, she had returned from a European trip during which she visited close friends in Scotland and England.
Family relationships occupy much of the memorial assembled after her death. Baratto’s daughter wrote about extended visits they shared during the final year of her life and about Baratto’s bond with her grandson. Friends added their own memories, including one who recalled her as a popular tennis-club member and another who credited her with starting a book club years earlier. Those recollections do not address the criminal investigation, but they provide context often absent from the first wave of homicide coverage, which necessarily focused on deputies’ response, the arrest and the charge against Harrington.
The sheriff’s account begins shortly after 2 p.m. Sept. 11. Harrington contacted law enforcement and said he had killed his mother, the agency reported. Deputies went to the 5100 block of Monterey Lane and found Harrington outside, where they took him into custody without incident. They then entered the home and found his mother dead with what appeared to be stab wounds. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Division responded and took control of the investigation. The sheriff’s initial public statement did not identify Baratto by name, but subsequent reports and her family’s memorial did.
More detail emerged from an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime and other news organizations. The document said Baratto was found in the living room with multiple stab wounds and that a knife was nearby. Harrington had a cut on his arm and allegedly told paramedics, “I killed my mom.” Investigators later interviewed him after advising him of his rights, and the affidavit says he again acknowledged killing his mother. Those claims are part of the prosecution’s developing case, not findings of guilt. Harrington is accused of first-degree murder and remains entitled to contest the allegations in court.
Even with the alleged admissions described in the affidavit, a major question remains unanswered publicly: why Baratto was killed. The affidavit, as summarized by news outlets, does not describe the events that immediately preceded her death or identify a motive. The sheriff’s office has likewise not released a public explanation of what investigators believe triggered the violence. The absence of that information matters because the case has attracted intense interest around other details that are easier to describe but do not necessarily explain the alleged crime.
Chief among those details is Harrington’s social-media activity. Reports identified a Facebook account on which he called himself a life coach and “intuitive healer.” His posts discussed spirituality, emotional healing, love and forgiveness, and a video uploaded shortly before Baratto’s death focused on forgiving people from one’s past. The proximity of those messages to the homicide allegation made them a prominent part of national coverage. Investigators, however, have not publicly said the video contained a threat, disclosed a plan to harm Baratto or established the motive behind her death.
The affidavit also says Harrington told detectives about a history of psychiatric diagnoses and long-term sobriety. Published reports say he identified schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder and told investigators he had been sober since 2007. Those statements require careful treatment because a diagnosis alone cannot explain violent conduct, establish a motive or determine criminal responsibility. No publicly released finding reviewed for this article establishes that Harrington’s reported mental-health history caused the alleged attack. Questions involving his competency, mental state or possible defenses would require evidence and formal legal proceedings rather than assumptions drawn from a diagnosis.
Court proceedings began soon after the arrest. Jail and court records cited by Boca Post show Harrington was booked the night of Sept. 11 on a single first-degree murder count. WPBF later reported that he remained without bond and declined to attend several early proceedings. A judge ordered him to have no contact with Baratto’s next of kin, according to the station. WPBF also reported that a review of Palm Beach County records found no previous misdemeanor or felony arrests for Harrington dating to 1998. His current charge is nonetheless among the most serious accusations handled in Florida criminal court.
Baratto’s family, meanwhile, marked her death outside the courthouse. Her memorial describes a woman who had been married twice and who had also endured earlier losses, including the deaths of an infant daughter and both husbands. She is survived by her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, along with friends who described her as generous and engaged with her community. A celebration of life was organized for later in September. The memorial emphasized her daily routines — tennis, tea, reading and time with friends — offering a counterweight to the violent final event through which many strangers first learned her name.
The contrast between those ordinary routines and the allegations inside the Monterey Lane home underscores the two separate stories now unfolding. One is the criminal prosecution of Harrington, in which investigators and lawyers will address evidence, intent and legal responsibility. The other is the family’s effort to preserve Baratto’s identity apart from the homicide. Neither Harrington’s internet persona nor the circumstances of his arrest can answer the still-open question of what occurred before the fatal encounter. For now, the publicly available record establishes the response, the death, the alleged statements and the charge, but not a motive.
Harrington remained in Palm Beach County custody without bond in the latest reports reviewed for this story. Law&Crime and Us Weekly listed his next court appearance for Nov. 5. No trial date or adjudication has been reported, and the first-degree murder allegation remains unproven. As the prosecution advances, future court records may provide a fuller account of the evidence surrounding Baratto’s death. Until then, her family’s memorial and the sheriff’s investigative record tell two very different parts of the same case: the life that was lost and the charge now pending against her son.
Author note: Last updated October 21, 2026.