In the early hours of April 17, 2012, the now 20-year-old Stephen Lang, allegedly grabbed his 91-year-old grandfather, Thomas Lang, around the throat and attempted to break the elderly man’s neck.
Despite having severe injuries, the nonagenarian managed to engage the emergency lifeline alarm he was wearing. Thereupon, Stephen fled the scene with the money. The alert was recorded at 1:44 am.
Thomas died several days later at the hospital, but managed beforehand to tell several people who his attacker was, according to the Daily Mail . Given how the law applies, as Stephen was deemed responsible for the man’s injuries that lead ultimately contributed to his death, the young man was detained and charged.
During an interview, Stephen adamantly denied touching or harming his grandfather and stated he didn’t know why the man called for help. He later confessed to some physical contact between the two, but claimed to have no real memory of the event.
Toxicology confirmed Stephen was high on cannabis and ecstasy, and drunk at the time of the attempted murder, and admitted to manslaughter . Instead, Stephen was found guilty of murder by a jury at Truro Crown Court and sentenced to serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Authorities believe the young man assaulted his grandfather in order to rob the frail man of a £300 (about $450 US) pension in order to feed his drug-habit, reports This Is Cornwall . The grandchild entered his grandfather’s bedroom inside a Launceston, Cornwall residence in an attempt to steal money from the old man’s wallet which he kept hidden under a pillow.
The homebound man was known for hiding his wallet in his bedroom, and had concealed nearly £8,000 and £10,000 of lifesavings inside a wardrobe safe. It was suggested that Thomas would have likely given Stephen the money if he’d asked for it.
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