"I absolutely believe in his innocence, it doesn't fit," said family friend Dr. Elaine LaForte.

Christopher Porco, 22, was seemingly calm as he was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs. He was indicted by a grand jury on Friday and charged with murder and attempted murder.

The indictment comes almost a year to the day his father, Peter Porco, was found dead and his mother, Joan, nearly beaten to death in their Delmar home.

LaForte said, "He's always been kind, compassionate and gentle. He has never shown anger at his parents. He's only talked lovingly of his parents, it doesn't make sense.”

Christopher’s lawyer, Terence Kindlon said, "There are probably few things that can be more devastating than being charged with murdering your father. My God, think about that for a minute."

Porco and Kindlon maintain his innocence, pleading not guilty to both counts, and pointing out that Porco's appearance in court was voluntary.

Kindlon said, "There really is nothing here. There's never been anything here as far as Christopher is concerned. And when we are in an open courtroom and they can cross examine the witnesses against us, when we can look at the evidence, that will be established beyond any dispute."

But after more than 25 agencies followed up on some 600 leads, they found otherwise. Investigators wouldn't comment on what they think was Porco's motive, or what evidence was instrumental in the indictment.

Bethlehem Police Chief Louis Corsi said, “No one was quick to judge here. There were a lot of things that needed to be done, and they needed to be done right. We have what we want and we're going to proceed from here."

Joan Porco was not there for the court appearance. She was last heard from this summer in a letter to the Times Union, pleading with investigators to leave her son alone.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares said, "Ultimately the issue here is in order to get justice for Joan Porco, we have to find her son guilty."

Porco was sent to Albany County jail until his bail hearing November 16. If convicted, he could face a sentence of 50 years to life.