Wilmington Woman Charged With Attacking Disabled Ex-Brother-In-Law Who Later Died

WILMINGTON, Ill. (CBS) -- A woman has been charged with attacking her disabled ex-brother-in-law in Wilmington.

The man died hours later.

On Friday evening, Wilmington police were called to the 1200 block of Towpath Lane after receiving a 911 call about a 71-year-old disabled man who had been attacked in his home.

Police at the scene were met by the man's niece – who is also his caretaker – and another woman who lives at the home. They said when they returned after being out, they found the man, Sherrell "Bud" Martin, in his chair bleeding from the head and face and called 911.

They also said Martin's ex-sister-in-law – Donna Reynolds, 67, of Wilmington – had hit Martin with his walker and was in the garage, police said.

Martin told officers that he and Reynolds had been quarreling for the past few days, and that out of nowhere, Reynolds had started hitting him in the face and had then picked up Martin's walker and begun hitting him with it, police said.

Martin said he was unable to defend himself due to his disability. Paramedics came and took him to the hospital, police said.

After Reynolds changed her story a few times about what happened, police arrested her. While being processed, she started having difficulty breathing and was taken to Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers in Morris for treatment, but she was later released and taken back to the Wilmington police station.

While officers were processing Reynolds, they got another call from Martin's – this time saying he had stopped breathing after returning from the hospital. Officers tried to revive him and then an ambulance came and took him to the hospital, and he was pronounced dead at 2 a.m. Saturday.

Reynolds has been charged with aggravated battery and was being held on $150,000 bond Sunday night.

The investigation into Martin's death continued pending the results of an examination by the Will County Coroner's office.