Broward man tried to kill 82-year-old mom with frying pan, pillows: Police

A Broward man is facing an attempted murder charge after he allegedly tried to kill his 82-year-old mother by hitting her in the head with a frying pan and trying to smother her with pillows, authorities said.

Keith Evan Woodward, 53, was arrested Sunday by Coral Springs Police, Broward jail records showed.

According to an arrest report, Woodward had been searching for the phone number of a caretaker when he “stated he intended to kill his mother due to her early dementia and need for constant assistance.”

Woodward grabbed a large frying pan from the kitchen, went into his mother’s bedroom and struck her in the head with the pan in an attempt to kill her, the report said.

A violent struggle ensued and he climbed on top of his mother and attempted to smother her with pillows from the bed, the report said.

She pushed and pinched him while yelling that she couldn’t breathe, and he then struck her at least two additional times in the head with the frying pan and again attempted to smother her, the report said.

The mother was able to escape by sliding out from under him and ran out of the home.

Woodward pursued her but stopped then said he felt guilty so he called emergency services, telling them what he’d done and saying he was “going to hell” for his actions, the report said.

Officers responded and Woodward was taken into police custody.

His mother was hospitalized and investigators were still determining the extent of her injuries, the report said.

Woodward appeared before a judge who ordered him held without bond. The judge also said he can’t possess firearms or weapons, can’t have contact with his mother, and must undergo a mental health screening.