Not Safe with You Around

Were they friends? The 41-year-old man and the 88-year-old woman. He said they were. Until the last day of her life, she enjoyed retirement. Prior to retiring, she had been a supervising registered nurse for an astounding 55-year career. The man who claimed he had been her friend said he found her dead. The evidence told a different story.

The evidence showed he had gone to her house and had become frustrated with her. The prosecution at his trial knew this because he had texted his girlfriend that he had to leave before doing something ugly. His girlfriend texted him back and said, “Don’t do anything to her.”

The man’s frustration appeared to stem from him asking to use the woman’s vehicle and being told, “No.”

He called 911 to report that someone had stolen her car. The next day, when the police found the car, it had no sign of forced entry, and in the trunk, they found the murder weapon caked in the victim’s blood.

The man also called in to report having found the woman deceased in her apartment. When they questioned him about why he waited to call in about her, based on estimated time of death, he said after he found her then fell asleep. When they searched the man, he had the key fob to the car in his sweatpants pocket. They also found out he was wearing two pairs of sweatpants. The pair worn on top was relatively clean. The other pair had the woman’s blood.

The authorities arrested him on suspicion of murder. When he went on trial, he represented himself and held firm—he had not killed his friend.

The jury disagreed and found him guilty of second-degree murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with evidence.

At his sentencing hearing, he had a statement to read. He claimed the police had planted the weapon. And it wasn’t the weapon used to kill her. Also, the police had erased her blood from the scene—all to make him look guilty.

The judge sentenced him to 25 years-to-life. At the sentencing, the judge said,

“It’s clear to me that this community, or any community, is not safe with you around.”

Source: Law & Crime, News 7 – WWMV TV, victim’s obituary

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