Florida woman, 86, beat her husband to death with cane, deputies say

PACE, Fla. – An 86-year-old Florida woman fatally beat her 89-year-old husband with a walking cane, officials said.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's officials said Ramona Maxine Lund is charged with murder and is being held in the jail's infirmary on $250,000 bond as authorities work together to evaluate whether she suffers from dementia.

A neighbor called 911 Saturday after seeing her standing over Francis Lund's body on the front porch. He told detectives he thought Lund had fallen and his wife was trying to help him up. The neighbor performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Inside the home, investigators found pieces of the cane covered in blood.

The Pensacola News Journal reported that the sheriff, prosecutor and public defender have taken the unusual step of agreeing to evaluate her mental competency.