Woman, 86, accused of beating husband to death with walking stick

An 86-year-old woman beat her 89-year-old husband to death with her walking stick, according to Florida police.

Ramona Maxine Lund has been charged with murder after an incident at the couple’s home in Pace, Florida on Saturday morning which ended with her husband, Francis Joseph Lund, lying dead on the couple’s porch.

A neighbour called emergency services after seeing Lund “standing over” her unresponsive husband outside their house, later telling detectives he “thought [he] had fallen and his wife was trying to help him up”, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

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Emergency responders initially believed that Francis Lund sustained the fatal injuries in a fall, but police officers “determined that [he] had suffered blunt force trauma to the head”, NBC reports.

Furthermore, “inside the home, authorities found parts of a walking cane covered in blood on the sofa and in a bucket by the front door”, says the News-Journal. Lund, who was also found to have blood on her hands and feet, was taken into custody by deputies.

On Monday, a judge ordered a psychological evaluation after officers reported that Lund appeared confused under questioning, including not knowing where she was or the time of day.

Santa Rosa Sheriff Bob Johnson said authorities were working to establish if she suffers from dementia.

“Based on observations of my investigators, as well as other personnel, when you interact with her on a personal level, when you ask her questions, it's clear that she's confused,” he said.

Lund is currently being held in the jail’s infirmary on $250,000 (£195,000) bond.

State Attorney Bill Eddins told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the Lunds had been married for 50 years and that this was a “very sad case”.