Florida man, 82, allegedly beat 84-year-old wife to death with hammer

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) -- An 82-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder and jailed after police allege he beat his wife to death with a hammer.

WESH reports that on April 19, police were called to a home after receiving a request for a welfare check. According to Inside Lake, a woman who knew the couple was concerned that she had not heard from them in several days.  

When they arrived, they found Vincent DiFraia covered in blood. He appeared to have cuts on his arms that first responders believed to be self-inflicted, and he was transported to the hospital for treatment. 

In the bedroom authorities found the body of DiFraia’s wife, 84; her name has not been released. The room had blood spatter on the walls and on the ceilings, and the woman’s body was covered in blood, per an arrest affidavit obtained by WESH. There was reportedly a hammer next to her in the bed and a large wound on the side of her head. Elsewhere in the home, authorities found dried blood and bloodied items in the sink and trash.

The medical examiner determined the woman had been dead for more than 24 hours before she was found by authorities, according to WESH. Inside Lake reports that a search warrant was executed at the home and a blood sample was taken from DiFraia. Based on the results, DiFraia was charged with first-degree murder and booked into jail, and is being held on no bond, according to WESH.

During the course of the investigation, authorities learned that DiFraia had allegedly discussed a suicide pact using pills about a month before his wife was killed. 

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