Man Faces Manslaughter Charges After Elderly Father Dies Of Neglect

Neglect of elderly, infirm people often results in legal investigations, but only in the most severe cases does someone get criminal charges for manslaughter.  Providing adequate care for a medically vulnerable person is difficult when you have limited resources, and emotional burnout only makes it worse.  This problem can happen in nursing homes or in family caregiver situations.  If a family member’s health worsens while he or she is in your care, it does not always mean that you are guilty of elder neglect or a related offense.  If you are not a healthcare professional, it is the responsibility of the patient’s doctors to make sure you know which signs are an indication that you must seek medical attention.  If you know or should reasonably have known that the patient was in danger, but you did not seek medical assistance, you are in a more legally vulnerable position.  If you are a family caregiver facing criminal charges because of alleged abuse or neglect of an elderly family member, contact a West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer.

Son Failed to Seek Medical Treatment for Father’s Infected Pressure Ulcers

In November 2024, a Brevard County man went to the emergency room to seek treatment for infected pressure ulcers on his back and shoulders.  He said that his son, who had lived with him since the father had been partially paralyzed by a stroke six years earlier, was his primary caregiver, but that he did not feel safe with him.  Doctors performed emergency surgery, but the man had developed sepsis, and he died several days later.  Records from the hospital visit say that the father showed signs of severe neglect; he was emaciated with overgrown toenails and layers of dead skin on his feet.

Police interviewed the son at the home he shared with his father.  The son acknowledged that he was his father’s caregiver, but he denied knowing that his father’s condition was severe enough to require an emergency room visit until it was too late.  He said that the father received $2,000 from Social Security each month and that they spent the money on rent and supplies, but he failed to account for the entire amount.  At first, he said that he fed his father every day and gave him a bath several times per week.  Upon further questioning, though, he admitted that several months had gone by since he had given his father a bath.  He said that he had ordered dressings for the pressure ulcers from Amazon, but they had not yet arrived.  As for the poor condition of his father’s left foot, he said that he knew it was in bad condition, but his father would fight him off when he tried to trim his toenails or remove the dead skin.

Contact a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Attorney William Wallshein has more than 41 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.

Sources:

lawandcrime.com/crime/son-accused-in-death-of-elderly-father-found-with-infected-ulcers-and-smelling-of-rotting-flesh-sheriff/

documentcloud.org/documents/25421527-elder-abuse-affidavit/?responsive=1&title=1