An elderly Florida man has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly beat up a fellow senior citizen at a golf course who later died, Fox 35 reports.
On June 28, Robert Edward Moore Jr., 76, confronted Dean William Zook, 87, after Moore mistakenly believed that Zook had hit his black Lexus at Glenview Country Club in The Villages.
“At the time, an unknown white male subject approached the scene of the minor accident and exclaimed, ‘What the hell, you hit my car!’” an affidavit obtained by Fox News reads.
“The victim admitted to hitting the vehicle with his vehicle and asked to exchange insurance information. The unknown subject then struck the 87-year-old victim in the jaw with a closed fist, pushing him backwards.”
Zook tried to shield the blows with his hands, but Moore’s punches were overpowering. Moore fled the scene upon realizing that the vehicle Zook had hit was not his.
Deputies were called and during an interview, Zook began slurring his words and stumbled. Medics rushed him to a hospital, where medical staff discovered a brain bleed. He died July 16, one day before his 88th birthday, because of the injuries he sustained in the attack.
Prosecutors later charged Moore with one count of aggravated manslaughter on an elderly person.
Investigators did not know Moore’s identity initially but were able to find him because he was featured in a news article about scoring a hole in one. A photograph of him in the article depicted him wearing the same shoes, shorts and sunglasses that he was wearing during the attack.
In an interview with police, Moore claimed that he thought Zook was attempting to leave the scene of an accident and he claimed he did not know Zook’s age.
“The defendant also admitted to knowing the victim was older and appeared to be frail, but stated he did not think he was 87 years of age,” the affidavit reads, according to Fox News.
Police arrested Moore and he was brought to the Sumter County Detention Center, where he was held on $30,000 bond. He was released July 27, according to WFLA-TV.
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[Feature Photo: Robert Edward Moore Jr./Sumter County Sheriff’s Office]
