Alton Leamon Cardwell (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
A Florida son faces charges in the death of his partially paralyzed father, who was found thin, dirty and smelling of rotting flesh.
Alton Leamon Cardwell, who is 45 years old, is charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person in connection with the passing of his father, Jimmy Lamar Cardwell, aged 71, as indicated by online court records.
According to a probable cause affidavit detailing the accusations, the victim had a stroke six years ago that resulted in paralysis on his left side. His son took on the role of being his full-time caregiver following the incident.
The incident came to the authorities’ attention on August 28th when an officer was summoned to the intensive care unit at Rockledge Regional Medical Center to conduct a death investigation. Jimmy Cardwell had to undergo emergency surgery due to his severe physical and medical condition, as outlined in the affidavit.
The document goes into detail about how the victim was found. He appeared to be thin and dirty. He had severely overgrown fingernails and hair. The victim also had an infected left foot, with severe overgrown toenails and layers of dead skin. The victim had two severe pressure ulcers, one on his back and one on his right shoulder. The pressure ulcer on his back was very infected, oozing puss and his bone was visible. He smelled of rotting flesh and had severe muscle wasting, the affidavit said.
The victim told doctors when he arrived that he did not feel safe at home and felt he was being abused.
At his Rockledge home, police interviewed the son, who said he was his father’s primary caregiver and his father had been bedridden for two years. Rockledge is more than 50 miles southeast of Orlando.
He told investigators he bathed him every few days and fed him every day. But he eventually admitted to bathing him every few months.
When asked how he provided food and supplies for the victim, the defendant said the victim received $2,000 from social security every month. When asked how the $2,000 was spent on the victim, he could only account for $300 worth of supplies. He said some money was used for rent and other household items.
When asked about the victim’s left foot, the son said he was aware of the condition but left it alone because the victim would complain about it and kick him when he tried to clean it. He said he hadn’t sought medical attention for the victim’s foot. When asked about the victim’s pressure ulcer on his back, the defendant said it had only been a week since it happened, and it wasn’t that bad, the affidavit said.
The defendant was arrested earlier this month. He’s being held at the Brevard County Jail. A court date has not been scheduled.
