CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — A couple accused of abusing a 63-year-old woman to the point that she died appeared in court Monday for their preliminary hearings.
Lisa Nelson and her boyfriend, Peter Shoemaker Jr., are accused of killing Lisa Nelson’s mother, Sally Nelson.
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According to police, Sally Nelson was living with the couple and their children inside their Connellsville home.
Sally Nelson was flow to a Pittsburgh hospital with a head injury in October 2015.
Authorities said when Sally Nelson arrived at the hospital, she was malnourished and had pressure wounds and lice so severe that her head needed to be shaved. She died two weeks later.
Neighbors told Channel 11 News that Lisa Nelson was the one who called 911 to take her mother to the hospital.
"Lisa found her in the morning, and told me she thought she was dead. When she realized she wasn't, she called an ambulance to take her to the hospital,” June Destefino said.
One of the couple’s children told investigators that Shoemaker killed his grandmother, having hit her with a table leg.
The child said when he confronted his father about her death, Shoemaker said, “You’ll understand one day,” according to court documents.
Lisa Nelson and Shoemaker both face a list of charges, including criminal homicide. A judge Monday ordered all charges held for court.