'This Was An Assault': Man Offering Reward To Help Catch Suspect Who Beat Up, Robbed Elderly Aunt
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ELLWOOD CITY (KDKA) -- A man is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest in his elderly aunt's beating earlier this year in Lawrence County.
Paul Boots says they found his great aunt, 84-year-old Delida Vicarri, early one morning last February. She was in terrible shape on the back porch of her Ellwood City home.
Vicarri had gone outside, apparently to smoke a cigarette, which Boots said was her normal routine.
That's when Vicarri was assaulted and robbed. Initially though, police investigating the case and Vicarri's family thought that she had taken a bad fall.
"She was taken to Ellwood City Hospital, then to Jameson [Hospital]," Boots said. "Then, she was LifeFlighted to UPMC Presbyterian, and the big guns there said this was not a fall, this was an assault."
Her injuries were serious.
Boots said his aunt suffered a broken jaw, broken eye socket, she was kicked her ribs and her legs were also bruised up, too. Also, whoever beat her, took her wedding ring.
Boots told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti he vented his anger on Facebook and put up $1,000 reward to try to help police find the person responsible for the heinous crime. Facebook followers contributed more money.
"I'm still angry, who wouldn't be angry? If this was your mother, your grandmother, wouldn't you be angry?" Boots said. "Somebody is going to get him, just think what you would do for $1,000, now it's over $4,000."
And this tragedy was compounded a few weeks ago, when Vicarri's husband, Frank, saw his wife in the hospital.
"She was released from UPMC and went back to intensive care at Jameson. He [Vicarri's husband] walked in for the first time, he took one look at her, and had a heart attack."