For his part in the “agonising” 2019 death of his 87-year-old grandmother, who passed away famished, dehydrated, and covered in infected, insect-infested bedsores, a 47-year-old Florida carer faces decades in prison.
Authorities said that Allen G. Arias was convicted on one count of aggravated manslaughter of an aged person in the death of Anita Arias by a Brevard County jury on Tuesday.
Before finding Arias guilty, jurors deliberated for 17 hours, according to a news release from the State Attorney’s Office of the 18th Judicial Circuit.
According to the prosecution, Arias took his grandmother to Holmes Regional Medical Centre in 2019 so that she might receive treatment for a variety of illnesses. About 185 miles north of Miami is where the hospital is located. She was declared dead soon after her arrival, according to the police.
When the facility’s medical staff noticed that the elderly woman was “covered in bed sores, some of them infested with maggots and other insects,” they stated they notified law enforcement right away.
“These ulcers were located along the back and legs of the deceased. Ulcers located on her feet had active insect activity, live maggots, that did not appear to be fresh,” police stated in a probable cause affidavit.
After responding to the complaint, Melbourne Police Department officers secured a search warrant for Anita Arias’ residence in the 1100 block of Count Street, where Allen Arias, her legal carer, also resided.
According to the police, they discovered “filthy conditions” in Anita Arias’ bedroom and around the house.
Investigators also claimed to have found “diabetes drugs that had been prescribed to her but never administered.”
Evidence given during the ensuing criminal processes provided additional details regarding the events behind Anita Arias’ death.
“At trial in Viera, Assistant State Attorneys Tiffany Colon and Mike Doyle presented autopsy findings that Anita Arias died from dehydration, emaciation, sepsis, and highly elevated blood sugar,” according to the release states. “Prosecutors pointed to [Allen Arias’] acknowledgement of serving as Anita Arias’ caretaker — who was aware of her diabetes and mobility issues — while living in the home she owned. And they showed jurors photos of the woman’s extensive, infected bedsores.”
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Anita Arias was a “lifelong curmudgeon and hoarder” who would frequently refuse to eat, take her medication, or go to her doctor’s appointments, according to testimony from several family members given by Allen Arias’ defence lawyer in court.
However, jurors ultimately concluded that Allen Arias was in charge of making sure she received the mental and physical care she needed.
“It’s unfair to say she died the way she lived,” Colon stated. “Elderly people might be set in their ways, but you still need to do what you need to do to take care of them — or you need to ask for help.”
Allen Arias was placed under arrest after Tuesday’s verdict and brought to Brevard County Jail to await his sentencing hearing on August 20, 2025. He might be fined up to $10,000 and imprisoned in a Florida state jail for a maximum of 30 years.
In the end, Colon said, she was glad that Anita Arias got justice “even though she wasn’t here to see it.”
