Poinciana man critically beat elderly woman, deputies say

Man faces attempted murder, burglary, kidnapping

POINCIANA, Fla. – Osceola County deputies have arrested a man they say burglarized his neighbor's home, dragged the neighbor's elderly mother out and beat her up.

Scott Pierre, 19, has been charged with attempted felony murder, burglary with battery, kidnapping, aggravated battery on an elderly person and criminal mischief in the Thursday morning incident.

Deputies said the victim's daughter, who said Pierre went to their home on Orne Court and kicked her front door before breaking the living room window with a concrete slab and setting off the house alarm just before 5 a.m. Thursday.

The daughter said she and her husband ran to a neighbor's house for help and saw Pierre dragging her 72-year-old mother, who was visiting them, out of the house. Pierre struck the victim multiple times and then returned to his residence next door, according to deputies.

Neighbors told investigators Pierre attacked the woman because he thought she put a hex on him, according to deputies. Pierre told deputies he beat the woman but has not said why.

"She was just lying on the ground she wasn't moving or nothing we though she was dead or something," said Kimberly Jones, who heard the commotion. "I felt sorry. I was scared to go over there because he probably would have jumped on me or something."

The victim was airlifted to ORMC with life threatening injuries, deputies said.

Pierre was arrested and taken to Osceola County jail.


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