An Omaha man who was previously facing a second-degree murder charge had the charge reduced to manslaughter. The 54-year-old man was charged for the death of his 76-year-old female roommate who he had lived with for three weeks. On Sept. 18, the woman was found to have suffered from head trauma, and she was pronounced dead weeks later. The same day that the woman died, her roommate turned himself in to police. It is unclear if the man had any prior record of violent crimes.
According to the accused man, he had been involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate. The deceased woman’s friends say that there was no relationship and that the man had been hired through Craigslist in order to help the woman around the house and cover half the rent. When the woman approached the man about his rental obligation, he admittedly pushed her. The man says that she then hit her head.
Police were alerted to the incident when the deceased woman’s friend called them. The friend was apparently worried when the woman did not make it to their lunch date, and she did not answer the phone. When police arrived at the woman’s home, they found her unresponsive on the floor of her bedroom. At the hospital, staff noted that she had bruised eyes, no brain activity and a swollen head.
A person who has been accused of murder might want to seek help from a criminal defense attorney if they wish to have their charge reduced to manslaughter. A criminal defense attorney might be able to help a defendant to have a murder charge reduced by gathering evidence to prove that the defendant did not cause a person’s death intentionally.
Source: KETV, “Charges against Omaha man reduced to manslaughter“, Jobeth Devera, November 21, 2014