Family finds 79-year-old woman dead in home after robbery, suspects charged

A 79-year-old North Carolina woman was found dead in her home by family members and police say two men have been charged with her robbery and murder.

Around 8 p.m. June 10, officials said they were called to a home in Rowan County, North Carolina, after family members found Judy Eller Hoffner dead inside the home.

An investigation determined Robert Maurice Singletary and Douglas Martin Patrick were the suspects in this murder and both were arrested, police said.

Investigators did not detail what led them to label the two men as suspects in the case or why they targeted the elderly victim.

Singletary was already in jail, as he was arrested on July 21 in connection to an April incident. In the spring incident, police responded to a call about an individual who was hurt after a robbery in the Dollar General parking lot, police said.

Once at the scene, police said they found the victim with non-life-threatening cuts to both hands.

Police determined Singletary approached the victim’s driver’s window to take his money.

However, as Singletary moved towards the vehicle, the victim got out on the passenger side and encountered a second suspect, an unknown white male, police said. That suspect assaulted the victim and both suspects fled the scene, WBTV reported.

Singletary has now been charged with murder, assault inflicting serious bodily injury, two counts of robbery with a firearm, felony breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a felon and no operator’s license from the incidents on April 28 and June 10, police said.

On Aug. 3, Patrick was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a felon and murder in connection to the Hoffner case, police said.