Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 8, 1990 TAG: 9007080132
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Mattie K. Martin, 66, died after David Lee Martin pushed his father, ripped an electrical cord from the ceiling, broke dishes on the kitchen floor and slung a dish through the kitchen window, authorities said.
Patrick County Sheriff Jay E. Gregory said the younger Martin, 49, had been drinking at the time.
Dr. David Oxley, the deputy chief medical examiner for Western Virginia, said the woman died of a heart attack.
"I will be seeking the advice of the commonwealth's attorney office after the results of the autopsy are in to determine whether any other charges will be appropriate in the death of his mother," Gregory said.
After police were called to subdue David Martin at the house on Virginia 627 - just west of the Henry County line - the woman fled from the house into the yard and collapsed.
She was transported to Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County, where she was pronounced dead on arrival about 11 p.m.
David Martin, a bricklayer's assistant, was arrested when he returned to his parents' home, where he lives with his wife and child. Police were called after he argued with his sisters following his mother's death.
Gregory said Martin was initially charged with being drunk in public. Friday, warrants for assault and battery and destruction of personal property were taken out for the younger Martin by his father.
David Martin remains in Patrick County Jail under a $5,000 bond.
by CNB