A man has been accused of raping a woman in her 80s with dementia who was living at the care home where he worked, according to prosecutors.
Joseph Hull, a nursing assistant at Missouri's Jefferson City, has been arrested and charged with first-degree rape and sexual conduct with a nursing facility resident / vulnerable person. According to Cole County prosecutors, Hull raped one of the residents at the nursing home where he worked.
The victim reportedly was an 81-year-old woman with dementia. Hull was arrested on Saturday, May 25, after a witness reportedly saw the gruesome act and alerted the authorities. The name of the facility where the incident occurred has not been released.
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The witness said they observed and recorded Hull kissing, hugging and having non-consensual intercourse with the dementia patient on Friday, April 17, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement seen by News Tribune. Another witness also said that the victim was in an advanced state of mental decline, and would often call men, including Hull, the name of her deceased husband believing it was him, because of her condition.
Gangsters ‘call for ceasefire’ after deadly Christmas Eve pub shootingHull reportedly admitted to law enforcement that he had sex with the victim and knew it was illegal. He is held in the Cole County Jail with a bond review hearing set for Monday, June 3, and a preliminary hearing date having been set for Thursday, June 27.
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In an unrelated incident in Missouri earlier this month, a man allegedly murdered his hospitalised wife because he couldn't take care of her or afford her treatments. Ronnie Wiggs is accused of strangling his wife on her hospital bed after a procedure to replace a dialysis port. After the murder, he left the hospital but was brought back shortly thereafter by his wife's son to see her.
That's when he allegedly said, "I did it. I killed her. I choked her." Staff members heard it and called the police. When detectives arrived, Ronnie reportedly told them that he covered his wife's nose and mouth to keep her from screaming, then choked her.
He added that he was depressed and simply couldn't afford her medical bills or handle her care. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He faces 10 to 30 years in prison or life with the possibility of parole for his actions.
If you have been affected by this story, contact Rape Crisis England & Wales for free confidential support and information on 08088029999 or their website or 08088010302 if you're calling from Scotland. You can contact the Domestic and Sexual Abuse helpline on 0808 802 1414 if you are in Ireland.