Woman sexually assaults 70-year-old female with umbrella, steals $15 before stabbing her to death
A woman called 911 in Old Bridge, New Jersey Thursday evening claiming she had killed someone.
Dispatchers immediately contacted police, who rushed to the Glenwood Apartments and Country Club to ascertain the situation.
The police found a body of an elderly woman, a bloody knife, an umbrella, drawer, and clothing at the scene of the incident, according to an affidavit from Detective Erick Larson.
Authorities then alerted paramedics who pronounced the woman dead at the scene, NJ. com reported.
The suspect, 40-year-old Caroline Beckert, was promptly arrested and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Beckert, according to a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, allegedly fatally attacked the victim, identified as 70-year-old Joann Cullinan, inside her home and robbed her of $15 in cash.
The police report stated that Beckett had allegedly used the knife and a heavy wooden drawer to stab and bludgeon Cullian. And during the course of the murder, she also allegedly sexually assaulted the older woman with an umbrella.
Although officials have not stated a motive for the brutal assault, according to the police arrest report, the women were acquaintances.
Cullian's neighbors were left shocked considering the brutality of the crime. One neighbor Michael Shantz, while talking to CBS News, said: "I’ve been here for four years now. I’ve never heard or had this happen before.”
While another neighbor told the outlet that Cullian was always friendly and used to wave at passerby before she became more withdrawn in the past year: "I have a feeling something happened. She looked like she needed help."
The 70-year-old reportedly lived in the apartment with her adult son. It is not yet clear whether he was home at the time of the incident.
Beckert is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center without a bond. She has reportedly not entered a plea and court records do not show whether she has a defense attorney to speak on her behalf. Her court hearing is scheduled at the New Brunswick Superior Court on Friday.
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