Crimes against elderly people often go unreported because the victim’s rarely contact authorities themselves. Usually, a witness or friend recognize something odd occurring and report the discrepancies to the authorities.
Crimes against elderly people usually encompass
fraud,
burglary,
theft, or any money-related crime. One Tequesta woman, 65, was young and nimble enough to escape a serious
assault on her life.
Assault on a Person 65 or Older
According to WTPV News, a 33-year-old Tequesta woman with bipolar disorder was
arrested on charges of
assault on a person 65 years or older and committed for an involuntary mental health exam after she tried to kill her mother with a knife Saturday morning.
According to a police report, Amy Kuryla swung a knife under her mother's chin saying, "You are going to die" and "You are always controlling my life."
Kuryla's mother, 65, was able to get the knife away from her daughter and hold her down, but Kuryla became violent again. The mother ran from the home and called police, according to the police report. Kuryla's mother told police that her daughter has bipolar disorder and has been "very unstable for a week," the report said.
In a hearing at the
Palm Beach County Detention Center this morning,
Palm Beach County Judge Janis Brustares Keyser set bond at $5,000 for each count of
assault and ordered Kuryla to have no contact with her mother.
Criminal Defense
People 65 years or older are protected by the law.
Assault is a serious
crime to begin with but when a person is accused of assaulting someone over the age of 65, the consequences are even more severe.
Aggravated assault upon a person over 65 is a second-degree (it can also be first-degree) misdemeanor punishable by a minimum of 3 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 in addition to 500 hours of community service. If you have been accused of
assault upon an elderly person, you need a
criminal defense lawyer’s help. A
criminal defense lawyer may be able to lower your sentence if at all possible.