Keith Woodward (Broward County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida man allegedly tried to kill his 82-year-old mother with a frying pan because he apparently didn't feel like caring for her after she was diagnosed with early dementia, according to police.
Keith Evan Woodward, 53, is facing a charge of attempted murder stemming from an incident on Sunday at a home in Coral Springs, per court records. A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate WPLG states Woodward wanted to kill his mom because of her "early dementia and need for constant assistance."
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The affidavit reportedly said that around 11:20 a.m., Woodward and his mom were trying to find a caretaker's phone number. The mother went to lie down in her bedroom when Woodward allegedly grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and went to her and started hitting her with it. A "violent struggle ensued," cops reportedly wrote.
Woodward allegedly got on top of his mother and "attempted to smother her with pillows from the bed." His mother fought back by pushing and pinching him while "repeatedly yelling that she could not breathe," the affidavit stated per WPLG.
The victim was able to escape from her son's grasp by sliding to the floor and then running outside as he chased her. Woodward eventually stopped chasing her and felt guilty, so he called the cops on himself. He reportedly said he was "going to hell" for what he did.
Paramedics transported the "alert and conscious" victim to the hospital. She suffered "severe bruising," and doctors were still trying to determine the "true extent of her injuries" at the time cops submitted the affidavit.
Woodward is being held at the Broward County Jail without bond.
