RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A mother and son in Vermont have been accused of causing the death of an elderly relative in their care.
State police said in 2018, Mary Fitzgerald, 85, was brought to the hospital with numerous life-threatening injuries and infections. She died in 2019.
Initially, her daughter, Marie Fitzgerald, 62, and grandson, Christopher Preedom, both of Rutland, were charged with neglect and abuse of an elderly adult. Both pleaded not guilty. The Rutland Herald reports that now, each faces a murder charge in connection with Mary Fitzgerald’s death.
“The lethal sequence of events leading to Mary Fitzgerald’s death began with complications of pressure ulcers and malnutrition in the setting of dementia and neglect of care,” Detective Trooper Seth Richardson wrote in an affidavit. “In other words, Mary Fitzgerald would not have died, were it not for the initial neglect and abuse that is the basis for the abuse of a vulnerable adult charge.”
Both Preedom and Marie Fitzgerald were released after they were arraigned on the amended charges Monday. A message seeking comment was left with an attorney.
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