FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – A Florida woman is accused of beating a man to death with a pole because she believed a man watching her with his pants pulled down was about to take advantage of women, authorities said.
Jennifer Ann Richards, 46, of Fort Myers Beach, was charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 30 attack, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.
Lee County deputies responding to an abandoned gas station in Fort Myers at about 11 p.m. EST found an unresponsive man at the scene, according to WINK-TV. The man, later identified as 71-year-old Vincent Facchiano, had injuries to his head and face, with his pants pulled down to his thigh and pieces of a pole on the ground nearby, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to an arrest affidavit, Richards said she was living in a campsite at the gas station and was drinking a beer in bed when she noticed a man staring at him with his pants down, WBBH-TV reported.
Richards said she felt threatened and armed herself with a pole before approaching him, the affidavit stated.
Deputies said that Richards claimed the man attempted to grab her and she began to beat him with the pole, the News-Press reported. She continued to beat him after the man fell to the ground, according to the newspaper.
When the victim became unresponsive, Richards allegedly walked away and threw part of the pole she had used.
Richards was arrested and taken to the Lee County Jail, the News-Press reported. She is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 30.
