70-Year-Old Woman Dies After Brutal Abuse
In Riverside, CA, a couple is accused of starving and whipping a mentally disabled elderly woman who suffered from a stroke. 41-year-old Timothy James Welch and 38-year-old Rebecca Marie Perez-Welch were reportedly paid to care for 70-year-old Joann Phillips and are being charged with second degree murder and elder abuse.
Both Timothy and Rebecca Welch face 15 years up to life in prison in connection with this incident. They are being tried in court separately according to the Valley News report. During Perez-Welch’s trial, the District Attorney accused Perez-Welch of disregarding the signs that Phillips was in dangerously bad health.
The report states that the Welch’s were state-regulated caregivers providing care for Phillips since 2004. In 2006, Phillips was transferred to the Welch’s home after she suffered a stroke and the victim’s brother was unable to care for her even with the daily visits from the Welch’s. Perez-Welch’s 13-year-old daughter told investigators that she saw her mother whip Phillips with an electrical cord. Phillips’ cause of death was reported as massive blood loss. Phillips suffered internal bleeding and frequently coughed up blood.
When an elderly person dies as a result of poor health it is a tragedy. However, when an elderly person is denied medical care purposely by people that are supposed to be paid to provide care, it is an even worse tragedy. Allowing a person to remain in completely unsanitary conditions and falling into worse health on a daily basis is a terrible act and anybody that treats an elderly person in this way and allows them to die should be punished to the highest possibility of the law.
