Man stabs his 81-year-old grandma to death because he was tired of caring for her
A man reportedly slit his 81-year-old grandmother's throat because he "was tired of taking care of her", and now the Arizona resident has been put behind bars. Helen Smith was allegedly killed by 30-year-old Brandon Smith, who has been charged with first-degree murder in his grandma's death. She was found in the bathroom of the house that she had shared with Brandon in Chandler. Authorities from Chandler Police Department said that Helen, who suffered from dementia, was found with multiple stab wounds at the scene.
According to the arrest report, Brandon told law enforcement that he became frustrated after Helen allegedly urinated on herself Sunday morning. He subsequently took her to the bathroom for a shower and slapped her in the face, leading Helen to fall in the tub and lose consciousness, according to WFSB.
Brandon said it was then that he realized he didn't want his grandma to "live like this anymore." So, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and slit his grandmother's throat in the tub. Immediately after, the 30-year-old dialed 911 and reported to authorities that his grandma was "not breathing" and that it looked like "someone had beaten her up and sliced her throat."
At around 3.30 am, cops responded to the Club Cancun apartment complex call and found the elderly woman dead. In the meanwhile, her grandson had already fled the scene. That said, police located Brandon and took him into custody, with the arrest report stating that at the time of the incident, he was "under the influence of alcohol or drugs." Later, he broke down in front of authorities and confessed that he was frustrated of taking care of his grandmother as he was the only one taking the responsibility. Helen had been living with for the past three years.
Marca Whitehair said she could hear the cries of the old lady's relatives when they heard the news. She lives in the apartment below the Smith's. “I could not imagine, I could feel her feeling, walking in, seeing your mom dead,” said a tearful Marca. "She was screaming, she was frightened," she said. "She just kept yelling, like, 'Grandma's gone, grandma's gone!' "
"Nothing like this has ever happened! I came out and there were about 20 officers, 20 cops cars around the building,” said Alan Blanchard, another neighbor.
According to law enforcement, Brandon was already on probation for aggravated assault.