Woman, 81, seriously hurt in attack at her Grosse Pointe Park home

GROSSE POINTE PARK — A caregiver stands accused of a violent attack that left an 81-year-old Grosse Pointe Park woman hospitalized.

The suspect, a 33-year-old Detroit woman, was charged with assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, first-degree home invasion, unlawful driving away of an automobile and four counts of felony firearm, for which she was arraigned May 8 in Grosse Pointe Park Municipal Court. She was given a $2 million bond, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Director Bryan Jarrell said the victim was alone in her home in the 1000 block of Berkshire Road when the suspect arrived at around 3 a.m. May 5. He said the victim opened the door to the suspect because she knew her. The suspect is said to have struck the victim in the head with a handgun, causing her to lose consciousness.

“She got hit in the head pretty hard,” Jarrell said of the victim, who wasn’t able to call police until she regained consciousness. Jarrell said there was “a lot of blood on the floor” when police and medics arrived. The victim had to be transported to Ascension St. John Hospital in Southfield because she needed to have brain surgery as a result of her injuries, Jarrell said.

The suspect stole the victim’s debit card and her car, fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle, Jarrell said. A second suspect — the person who drove the alleged attacker to the victim’s home — could also be facing charges, he said. It wasn’t clear at press time whether any additional suspects were involved in this incident.

Because the victim’s car was a newer Ford vehicle, Jarrell said police were able to work with Ford Motor Co. officials to track its location. That allowed them to locate and arrest the suspect — who was behind the wheel — and take her into custody about 30 minutes after police got the 911 call, he said.

“It is heartbreaking to see a senior citizen’s trust be eroded completely by someone they knew and let into their home,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a prepared statement. “The crimes that we allege today against this defendant will show the ultimate of betrayals. We will seek justice for our senior victim in this case.”

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said the suspect will be back in court for a probable cause conference at 9 a.m. May 17.