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77-year-old Detroit woman beaten to death in her home
Police suspect a 37-year-old man, who lived with the elderly woman for a year, beat her to death and left her sitting in a chair in her dining room on August 5, 2024.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - An elderly woman was beaten to death in her southwest Detroit home, and was found by police sitting upright in a chair in her dining room.
Detroit police arrested 37-year-old Thurman Moore-Brewer on charges of premeditated murder in the first degree. The 77-year-old victim's neighbors told investigators the suspect lived with her for about a year, on Larkins Street near Michigan Avenue.
"There were injuries to her face, blunt force trauma," said Detroit Police Commander Rebecca McKay.
Just before her murder on August 5, the victim allegedly indicated to neighbors that she wanted Moore-Brewer out of her home, according to police.
"We do not have a weapon, and he did not indicate that he used a weapon," McKay said. Moore-Brewer is suspected of using "his hands and his feet" to beat up the woman.
Thurman Moore-Brewer
According to police, statistics show that such intense and up-close acts of violence are often committed by an individual who knew the victim well.
McKay described someone who would beat up a person to death as "very angry, and possibly mentally disturbed."
Moore-Brewer "befriended (the victim) at some point in time," McKay said. "At another point in time, she allowed him to move into the home. According to neighbors, he had been staying there for about a year."
It is unclear if the attacker and the victim were romantically involved. He was 40 years her junior.
Before he allegedly left the crime scene, Moore-Brewer made a 911 call, according to police. The call, and neighbors' security footage, helped track the suspect to the transit center in downtown Detroit, where he was arrested.
Moore-Brewer was charged with first degree murder and his bond was denied. He will be back in court this week for a preliminary exam.
This was Moore-Brewer's first violent incident that police know of. However, "it definitely could have happened again had we not gotten him into custody," McKay said.
The 77-year-old victim's southwest Detroit neighborhood.
Resources:
If you or a loved one are suffering from a situation involving domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The Michigan Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-866-VOICEDV.
The Hotline.org can be found here.