Man, 81, allegedly killed roommate, 94

[discocrisco01]

LAGUNA WOODS – A 94-year-old man died late Friday night when his roommate at a rehabilitation hospital beat him on the head with a metal pole, Orange County Sheriff's officials said.
"What prompted the attack is still under investigation. Obviously, this is very unusual," Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Sheriff's investigators say William Leo McDougall, 81, killed his roommate at a Laguna Woods nursing home by hitting him on the head with a closet rod. Detectives are unsure of the motive. COURTESY OF THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S

Read More at http://www.ocregister.com/news/rehabilitation-269266-center-pole.html
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[Liberal Veteran]

1. I'm guessing an "onion belt" story is involved.

Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt. Which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where was I... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. You couldn't get white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

[virgogal]

2. I find this incredibly sad.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. 'Rehabilitation hospital'

quite the colorful euphemism for a nursing home, isn't it?

[htuttle]

4. I once knew of two elderly guys around that age

...who put each other in the hospital after a cane fight in the hallway of their 'managed care residence.'

Apparently, they were fighting over a woman. :shrug:

[pipi_k]

5. The sheriff's spokesman must not know too many elderly people...

who perhaps have a touch of dementia.

It's not "unusual" at all for this type of thing to happen.


The month my 93 year old MIL spent in a nursing home was filled with all sorts of similar things, and in fact she tried beating the shit out of her (younger) roommate over a TV or something, and tried to choke a nurse by grabbing and twisting her ID lanyard.

The entire family was embarrassed but it's the nature of dementia.

Very sad.

[WyLoochka]

6. Why do they have to have roommates?

By 80 or so most people are pretty set in their ways and having to get used to a roommate is asking quite a bit.

My 93 year old Mom is not planning on leaving her assisted living place alive. She says she would rather "cash in her chips" than have to get adjusted to a roommate.