After admitting to police that she drowned her 93-year-old grandmother, Heidi Matheny has pleaded not guilty in court, WHIO reports.
During a Dec. 9, 2022 hearing, Matheny’s defense entered a not guilty plea on her behalf, and WHIO reports that court records show Matheny submitted a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to her attorneys.
Eaton Police Chief Steve Hurd told WHIO last month that Matheny described how she went up behind her grandmother, Alice Matheny, who was doing dishes, and dunked her head under the water “until she stopped blowing bubbles.”
Unsure of whether her grandmother was actually dead yet, Matheny told police she filled up the bathtub and held Alice under the water for another 15 minutes before leaving the body there, WHIO reported previously.
Matheny allegedly told police “it was a day like any other day,”yet a WDTN report stated that at a doctor’s appointment the day before, Matheny learned that her grandmother required a nursing home. A police report adds that Matheny admitted she couldn’t afford a nursing home for her grandmother, and insurance wouldn’t cover the costs, WDTN said.
Chief Hurd said Matheny was “just tired of taking care of a grandmother,” and that she said she was “sick of seeing” Alice, WDTN says.
Police issued a press release saying that Heidi has been charged with one count of murder. She is currently being held on $500,000 bond, WHIO says, adding that her next court date is scheduled for March 2, 2023.
“It’s difficult not to take this to heart when you have a 35-year-old granddaughter who allegedly drowned her grandmother of 93 years of age in the bathtub,” Chief Hurd said.
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