Nursing Home Resident Accused of Killing Roommate
We discussed Elizabeth Barrow's tragic death in a previous blog. Sadly, Ms. Barrow's 98 year-old roommate was indicted on December 11, 2009 for second-degree murder for allegedly strangling her 100 year-old roommate at Brandon Woods Nursing Home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Barrow was found dead in her bed with a plastic bag tied around her head on September 24, 2009. The medical examiner determined her death was a homicide after an autopsy revealed that Ms. Barrow had been strangled.
Elizabeth Barrow had recently complained that Lundquist was making her life "a living hell" because Lundquist thought Barrow was "taking over the room". In fact, the night before Barrow's death, Lundquist had blocked her path to the bathroom with a table at the foot of her bed. A nurse's aide removed the table and Lundquist punched her. The table was found next to the bed when Barrow was discovered dead.
Barrow and Lundquist had been roommates for approximately one year. Lundquist, who had a long-standing diagnosis of dementia and cognitive impairment, had complained to nursing home staff about the number of visitors that Barrow received and had made threatening comments to Barrow. According to the District Attorney, Lundquist suffered from paranoia and "harbored hostility toward the victim". Scott Barrow, Elizabeth Barrow's son, had requested that the roommates be separated, but nursing home staff assured him that they were getting along. Reportedly, Barrow did not want to leave the room where she had lived with her husband before his death and declined a room change in July and August 2009.
The nursing home issued a statement alleging that the roommates acted like sisters, walked and ate lunch together daily, and said "Goodnight, I love you" to each other at night. The facility is establishing a scholarship in Barrow's name, which her son will chair.
