Jacksonville woman, 65, accused of 92-year-old mother’s murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 65-year-old Jacksonville woman faces a murder charge in the death of her 92-year-old mother, who died last month of injuries resulting from apparent neglect and physical abuse, authorities said Thursday.

Iris Vanessa Kinamon, who bonded out of jail after her Nov. 3 arrest on suspicion of aggravated elderly abuse, was arrested again Wednesday — this time on a warrant charging her with second-degree murder, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Jail records show Kinamon is being held at the Duval County jail on $100,000 bond.

The charges stem from a report of possible elder abuse received from Orange Park Medical Center about 7:30 a.m. Nov. 3 after the victim was taken to the hospital with a severe cut to her left calf, according to Kinamon’s arrest report.

An emergency room physician reported the incident after noticing signs of what she believed to be abuse and neglect.

While the victim was unable to speak with police that day, an officer noted that both of her eyes and cheeks were swollen and she had a golf ball-sized lump on her right eyebrow, all of which “appeared to be the result of being hit,” according to the report.

A nurse said the victim also had several “brain bleeds,” which were being monitored to determine if surgery was necessary.

Besides injuries to the victim’s head and face, hospital staff told police the 92-year-old had formed bed sores “all over her body from not being moved enough,” the most severe of them a deep, six-inch-long cut running along her left leg. The report noted the victim had also developed a rash from not being cleaned properly.

Officers learned the victim was living with Kinamon, her daughter and primary caregiver. Speaking with police, Kinamon acknowledged her mother’s bed sores but said “she has been doing the best she could,” according to the report.

The report said when Kinamon was questioned about the facial injuries, she made a gesture indicating she had slapped her mother with an “open hand” an unknown number of times. It’s unclear

The victim died of her injuries Nov. 21, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Duval County court records show an attorney for Kinamon entered a not guilty plea Nov. 12 to the elderly abuse charge. She’s scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 8 for an arraignment hearing.

News4Jax went to the address listed in Kinamon’s arrest report and spoke with a neighbor who said he saw the 65-year-old and her mother from time to time. He described the older woman as “very nice.”

“From time to time, I would catch fish and take them down to her,” neighbor Michael Neal said. “Some of my smaller fish, she enjoyed those. She was a very nice lady.”

Neighbors said Kinamon mostly kept to herself after moving into the neighborhood to take care of her mother. They were surprised when they learned about Kinamon’s arrest.

“It’s really hard to put in words what it would take for an individual to do that to an individual, let alone your mother,” Neal said.

News4JAX Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson said this behavior isn’t uncommon, even with families.

“They become restless, they become weary about being the caretaker,” Jefferson said. “They start taking shortcuts and sometimes unfortunately it leads to things like this where the person is killed.”

Jefferson said family members who get overwhelmed with care-taking duties should never take matters into their own hands, but rather reach out to relatives or other resources for help.

“They should seek help — help from other family members if there are any. If not, seek help from outside agencies that provide that sort of care.”


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