Woman aged 92 shoots son to avoid care home
Anna Mae Blessing reportedly said: ‘You took my life so I’m taking yours’
A 92-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly shot her son dead because he wanted her to move into a care home.
According to a statement she made to police, Anna Mae Blessing’s 72-year-old son Thomas told his mother that she was becoming “difficult to live with” and would have to move out of the apartment that he shared with his girlfriend in Fountain Hills, Arizona.
Blessing told detectives that she “had been contemplating for several days her son’s intentions to place her in an assisted living facility”, according to a statement from Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Monday morning, she “reportedly concealed two pistols in the pockets of her robe and then confronted her son in his bedroom”, says news site ABC15 Arizona.
At some point during the ensuing argument, Blessing drew one of the firearms - given to her by her husband in the 1970s, Fox News reports - and fired multiple rounds at Thomas, who was later pronounced dead.
She then pointed the weapon at her son’s 57-year-old partner, who was able to disarm her of both firearms and call the sheriff’s department.
Deputies who arrived on the scene found Blessing waiting in a recliner in her bedroom. As she was placed under arrest, she reportedly commented: “You took my life, so I’m taking yours.”
She also told officers that she had intended to kill herself, but was disarmed before she could go through with this plan.
When asked what she thought should happen to her, she is said to have replied that she should be “put to sleep” for her actions, according to CBS News.
The 92-year-old has been charged with murder in the first degree, as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. She will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on 13 July.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff Published
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on police
Speed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
By The Week Staff Published
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegations
Speed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?
Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’
Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the Republicans
Speed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?
Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Everard’s murder: a national reckoning?
Speed Read Wayne Couzen’s guilty plea doesn’t ‘tidy away the reality of sexual violence’
By The Week Staff Last updated