Santa Rosa County Jail Ramona Lund, 86, charged with beating husband to death with a cane.
Ramona Lund is an 86-year-old Florida woman charged with beating her 89-year-old husband Francis to death with a walking cane.
Police say Lund hit her husband in the head and face multiple times with the cane, WEAR-TV reported.
A neighbor called 911 after seeing Francis Lund face down on the porch in front of the couples home after Ramona Lund claimed she could find a phone to call an ambulance.
Francis Lund was found dead on the porch. Police found a broken cane in the living room, along with a nightgown splattered with blood, as well as towels and shoes that were covered in blood.
Lund was charged with manslaughter and is being held on $250,000 bond.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Neighbor Discovered Ramona Lund’s Husband Face Down on The Porch
A neighbor called 911 after he spotted Ramona Lund standing over Francis Lund’s body on the couple’s front porch.
The neighbor told police he thought Francis had fallen down and his wife was unable to get him up.
The neighbor said he urged Ramona to call 911 but she claimed she could not find the phone.
The neighbor ran into his home and called 911. The operator told him to perform CPR on Francis while he waited but it was too late.
Police found Francis Lund dead when they arrived.
2. Police Found Broken Cane & Bloody Clothes Inside The Home
The Pensacola News Journal reported that police discovered a broken walking cane that was covered in blood on the living room sofa.
Police also found a nightgown that was covered in blood on the arm of the sofa and said Ramona Lund had blood on her hands and feet.
Police determined that Francis Lund’s injuries were consistent with being hit with a cane.
3. Ramona Lund Was Charged With Manslaughter
Lund was charged with manslaughter and is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail on $250,000 bond.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a press conference Monday that Lund is the oldest person the sheriff’s office has had to charge with homicide.
“We’re dealing probably with someone’s grandmother now,” Johnson said. “It’s not something that happens every day.”
4. Lund May Be Suffering From Dementia
The Pensacola News Journal reported that Lund may be suffering from dementia.
“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,” Johnson said at the Monday news conference. “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.”
Johnson said it was unclear if she had a medical condition but told reporters that she was unaware or where she was or what time it was in interviews with police.
Lund is being treated in the jail’s infirmary, Johnson said.
5. Prosecutor Takes ‘Unusual’ Route in Lund’s Case
State Attorney Bill Eddins agreed with Lund’s public defender that Lund needs to be evaluated for mental competency before she could attend a court hearing.
“It is unusual (for the state to seek a competency evaluation),” Eddins said at the Monday news conference. “But it is my obligation to seek justice, and it became clear to me and my office that this woman had significant indications of confusion, and I felt it was important to my office to take an unusual approach.”
Public Defender Bruce Miller said he could not say if Lund had dementia but told The Pensacola News Journal that, “if someone suffers from dementia, they are not going to become competent, they are going to stay that way.”
READ NEXT: WATCH: ‘Hotel Earl’ Calls Cops on Black Guest at Portland DoubleTree