Fifty-one-year-old Timothy Washington is behind bars, charged with murdering his own mother.
Back on Aug. 23, Baltimore County Police were called to Bernice Washington’s Rosedale house to check on her.
"A relative of the 80-year-old woman who lived in the home contacted police after being unable to contact her for several weeks," said Baltimore County Police Corporal John Wachter.
Police and fire crews forced their way inside, and made a grisly discovery.
"Unfortunately, she wasn't okay,” Wachter said. “They found her deceased and she had been assaulted, beaten by her son."
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According to court documents, Timothy was living at the house in a makeshift bedroom in the basement. His mother's body was found at the bottom of the stairs, just feet from the room.
Detectives say Bernice had blunt force trauma to her head, and had been dead for about two weeks. All evidence pointed to Timothy.
Investigators believe he murdered his mom, then took the elderly woman's Jeep and a large sum of money from her house.
People who live nearby on Chapel Hill Drive say the violent crime has rocked the neighborhood.
"She was a nice Christian woman,” said Robert Tomlinson. “I talked to her a few times, she was very pleasant, she kept her house up, I seen people pick her up and take her to church."
Timothy was arrested for the crime on Sept.14. He’s charged with first-degree murder and is set to be in court in two weeks.
Family members say it's been tough, like a bad dream. They’re trying to cope with the fact that Bernice is gone, and the fact that their own brother is being called a cold blooded killer.
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