Man faces murder charge after elderly mom found covered in feces and bedsores in bug-infested home: OCDA

A Santa Ana man could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted on allegations he allowed his elderly mother to fester in “hoarder-like conditions,” according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office

Richard Towers, 50, faces felony charges of murder and inflicting injury on an elder adult, as well as an enhancement for causing great bodily injury on an elder adult, the OCDA said in a news release.

Jail records show that he was arrested on Monday, several days after the Santa Ana Police Department revealed he’d missed a court date related to the allegations of neglect.

The victim, 82, was brought to Kaiser Permanente Orange County – Irvine Medical Center on Jan. 15 after Towers found her unresponsive and called 911.

Man wanted as suspect in mother’s murder

When found, the woman, a diabetic, was “covered in dried feces and bedsores, including a sore on her hip that left bone exposed,” the release explained.

“The home’s floors were covered in urine and feces and hundreds of dead roaches and other bugs littered the refrigerator where the woman’s insulin was kept,” the OCDA added. “The home did not have running water.”

Additionally, the victim “had seven pressure wounds across her body that doctors said would have taken weeks to develop,” and she was “diagnosed with septic shock.”

Officials added that law enforcement tried to conduct a welfare check on the victim in December, but Towers denied them access to his mother, who died at hospital on Jan. 25, 10 days after her arrival.

“The cruelty involved to allow your own mother to suffer in what undoubtedly was excruciating pain is unconscionable,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release. “This was not accidental oversight by a careless caretaker; this was murder. The infliction of pain on a defenseless, elderly woman will not be tolerated in our community. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has – and will continue to – protect the safety of our elderly residents and ensure that those who do them harm are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Jail records show that Towers is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. His current location is listed as the Inmate Release Center.

If convicted on all counts, Towers could be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

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