Florida Woman, 86, Beat Husband, 89, to Death With Cane: Police

Ramona Maxine Lund is charged and with murder and authorities are working to evaluate whether she suffers from dementia

Investigators say an 86-year-old Florida woman fatally beat her 89-year-old husband with a walking cane.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Officials say Ramona Maxine Lund is charged with murder and is being held in the jail's infirmary on $250,000 bond as authorities work together to evaluate whether she suffers from dementia.

A neighbor called 911 Saturday after seeing her standing over Francis Lund's body on the front porch. He told detectives he thought Lund had fallen and his wife was trying to help him up. The neighbor performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Inside the home, investigators found pieces of the cane covered in blood.

The Pensacola News Journal reports that the sheriff, prosecutor and public defender have taken the unusual step of agreeing to evaluate her mental competency.

"Based on observations of my investigators, as well as other personnel, when you interact with her on a personal level, when you ask her questions, it's clear that she's confused," Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a news conference Monday announcing the arrest. "It's important that, while we are going to focus on the mental confusion and that aspect, it's important to remember and be reminded that she is charged with a very serious crime that has resulted in the loss of a human life."

Bruce Miller, the public defender assigned to represent Lund, told the Journal that while it's too early to say whether the grandmother is suffering from dementia, "If someone suffers from dementia, they are not going to become competent, they are going to stay that way."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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