BLOOD EVIDENCE

Woman, 76, Charged With Beating Hubby to Death With Cane

She said he fell. Blood spatter and a witness told a more brutal story.

A 76-year-old Maryland woman has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly pushing her 72-year-old husband to the floor, retrieving a cane, and beating him to death with it. The Carroll County State’s Attorney Office says John D’Anthony suffered cuts to his mouth, a broken neck, a broken right rib, two black eyes, and large bruises on his hands and forearms when he was found dead in March. Forensic experts determined blood-spatter patterns showed he was attacked, and police say they located a witness who said Gail D’Anthony confessed to them. “All of us in law enforcement in Carroll are committed to protecting vulnerable victims of domestic violence, no matter how young or old,” State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said.