A caregiver accused of abusing an Oceanside woman and her best friend has been arrested and will face charges of murder, Oceanside Police said Monday.
Margaret Wood, 94, died July 9, according to investigators.
NBC 7 viewers may remember that Wood and her best friend, 92-year-old Marian Kubic, were injured in an April 16 confrontation with Kubic's caregiver.
Surveillance video captured the incident in which Wood suffered a cracked skull and broken nose. After 11 weeks, she succumbed to her injuries, her family said.
"Watching her body deteriorate was absolutely the worst thing I have ever seen," said daughter-in-law Lisa Wood, who spoke with NBC 7 from her Orange County home. Lisa was in hospice with her mother-in-law when she died Saturday.
"It's hard even though we knew this was going to be the outcome," Wood said. "It's still really hard when it's final."
Oceanside Police said William Sutton, 66, was arrested Monday morning on a charge of murder following Wood's death. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility. In an earlier attempt to interview Sutton, his attorney told NBC7 that he would not comment on the case.
Sutton is accused of beating Wood and throwing her down three porch steps outside Kubic's home.
Previously, Sutton pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder and willful cruelty to an elderly adult.
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Marian Kubic, 92, of Oceanside, died on May 27. Her family told NBC 7 that even though Kubic was not injured in the incident, her health deteriorated soon after.
Sutton was not charged in Kubic's death.
If convicted on all counts, Sutton could face up to 14 years in prison.
