A mother and son let an elderly relative die on the floor of their home, took money out of her bank account and stashed her remains in a garage. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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Veronica King, 71, and Steven King, 45, appeared in a Madison court on Monday to face charges of first-degree reckless homicide, abuse, hiding a body and financial fraud.
Prosecutors say the duo watched television and ate fast food for two days in May 2009 while Veronica King’s sister, Mary Coleman, 70, languished on the floor of their Madison home after suffering a crippling fall.
Coleman died after two days, investigators said.
Over the next three months, the Kings allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars from the dead woman’s pension and social security accounts.
In a sick twist, investigators said the victim had looked after the Kings for nearly three decades after Veronica’s husband died in 1968.
Steven King suffered from schizophrenia and other issues, according to court documents.
“Her whole life centered around them,” Karen Fox-Nelson, 69, who worked with Coleman at a telephone company, told The Associated Press.
“She never really did anything with anybody. She always had to get home and take care of Steven.”
Police investigating claims that Steven King had been abusing his mother found Coleman’s body wrapped in a tarp in the house’s garage in August 2009.
Investigators said the Kings let Coleman die because they didn’t think they could help her and wanted to avoid dealing with police.
“We had to keep it a secret,” Steven King told investigators, according to court documents.
