Beaten by grandson, 41, elderly victim dies – Murder charges pending

September 23, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

MENIFEE, Calif. — Authorities announced today that an elderly woman who was critically injured when she was allegedly beaten by her 41-year-old grandson has passed away from injuries sustained during her brutal attack last Friday, Sept. 18.

The victim’s attacker, Menifee resident Andrew Joseph, was arrested the day of the attack and charged with attempted murder and has been sitting in a Riverside County jail in Lieu of $1 million bail or bond. He will now be facing upgraded murder charges, according to Menifee Police Department.

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Although Menifee PD originally reported that Joseph was living with the victim at the time of the deadly attack, RCNS has since learned that the alleged suspect had only been staying at the elderly victim’s house for two days, after he reportedly beat up his mother and was kicked out of her house.

Family members who reached out to RCNS said the mother originally beaten by Joseph did not report the violent attack because she feared he would be incarcerated.

City of Menifee police officers and detectives began investigating the incident last Friday afternoon, after the beaten and bloodied victim managed to walk to a neighbors house pleading for help, Menifee Police Captain David Gutierrez had previously said of the attack and arrest.

The victim, thus far described only as an elderly woman who lived with her husband at a private residence in the 26000 block of Ridgemoor Dr., has not yet been publicly identified.

As Menifee PD’s investigation was getting underway, officers learned that Joseph had fled to Hemet, where he was with another family member at a home on San Bernardo Ave., southeast of Kirby St. and W. Oakland Ave.

“While preparing to respond to Hemet, the Hemet Police Department notified us they had Mr. Joseph in custody,” said Gutierrez; adding, “He was taken into custody without incident.”

“Menifee Police Department Detectives were notified today (Sept. 22) that the victim succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the assault,” Gutierrez said in an updated press release published today.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY: Elderly woman critical, grandson, 41, charged with attempted murder

“Detectives will be meeting with the District Attorney’s Office to upgrade the attempted murder charge to murder,” Gutierrez said in the update; adding, “On behalf of Chief Pat Walsh, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family.”

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.