Police work reviewed in case in which woman, 92, accused of killing son, 72
PHOENIX — The sheriff of metro Phoenix said Thursday he is examining whether his deputies should have done more when they began receiving calls this year from a home where a 92-year-old woman is accused of fatally shooting her son because he wanted to put her in an assisted living facility.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office received several calls from the home of Anna Mae Blessing and her son, 72-year-old Thomas Blessing, who was shot Mon- day. In a June 21 call, the son alleged his mother was threatening him, agency spokesman Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez said.
Sheriff Paul Penzone initially said domestic disputes often can’t be predicted or prevented. But the sheriff said at a news conference that when he made that statement, he didn’t know his deputies had previously received calls from the home in Fountain Hills, about 50 kilometres northeast of Phoenix.
Investigators said Anna Blessing was upset about her son’s plans to put her into assisted living and got into an argument with him Monday over the way she was being treated.
Investigators said that after the shooting, Thomas Blessing’s girlfriend managed to take away two guns from the suspect.
Anna Blessing is being held in a jail infirmary because of her advanced age. It’s not clear whether she has been assigned an attorney.