Police officers have arrested a New York woman and have charged her of using a hammer to beat a 100-year-old man to death.
Brutal beating
Authorities took Brenda L. McKay, 51 years old, into custody and charged her of second-degree murder on Saturday. McKay allegedly killed the 100-year-old Gerald C. Early, as reported by Kiro 7.
Local law enforcement found Early inside his resident in West First Street unconscious and suffering from head trauma at around 1:15 p.m. Saturday. Emergency personnel transported the victim to a hospital in Pennsylvania but was later pronounced dead.
Investigators in charge of the case believe that McKay used a hammer to beat Early several times and they have not released the woman's potential motive in the murder. According to Fox 23, officials are currently holding McKay at the Steuben County jail.
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A similar case
Officials released Jerod Juan Cook last month after being imprisoned for 18 years, and he has been arrested for charges of murder. Cook used a hammer to beat and kill John Ferrell II, 59 years old, on Sunday, as revealed by Sgt. Allen Cantey of the Rock Hill Police Department.
According to Herald Online, Cantey announced on Tuesday that Cook busted Ferrell's head and torso with a hammer and then proceeded to hide evidence that could lead to his arrest. The brutal murder happened at Ferrell's residence located on Confederate Avenue.
In court, Cantey said that they quickly knew the incident was a brutal attack and murder. "Cook struck Ferrel numerous times in the head and upper body with the hammer," he added. Police officers, however, did not state the potential motive for the crime.
On Tuesday afternoon, Cook refused to comment in court on the investigation of his alleged murder of Ferrel. He also told Jane Modla, the Rock Hill Municipal judge that he had been released for a month after spending nearly two decades in jail.
Cook said in court that he just finished serving 18 years in prison and noted he was arrested at a young age and just got out a month ago.
The spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, Pete O'Boyle, said the suspect was on community supervision when he was freed, which South Carolina law required, after finishing a mandatory 85% of his 20-year sentence inside the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
O'Boyle said that the state law required Cook to report his activities to a South Carolina agent.
In 2002, Cook pleaded guilty to 28 charges where authorities sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The charges include five counts of armed robbery, 11 counts of burglary, and 12 other charges. He was also convicted for arson in 2001.
Judge Modla assigned a public defender to represent Cook in the murder case but denied him of a bond. She also said that "this crime carries up to life in prison." The charge would sentence Cook to a minimum of 30 years and up to life in prison if found guilty.