Intruder Attacks 87-Year-Old Woman in Falmouth, MA; Blind Husband Drives Him Off

A man broke into a Falmouth, MA home and attacked an 87-year-old woman before her blind husband scared him away. Neil O'Flaherty, 27, now faces multiple felony charges.

Intruder Climbs Through Bedroom Window, Attacks Elderly Woman in Cape Cod Home

An 87-year-old great-grandmother was grabbed by the neck and dragged down the hallway of her own home after a man climbed through her bedroom window on the night of May 25, according to the Falmouth Police Department. Law & Crime reports that the suspect, Neil O'Flaherty, 27, has been charged with aggravated burglary, kidnapping, assault with intent to murder, assault and battery on a person age 60 or older, and breaking and entering in the nighttime for a felony.

The incident took place at around 9 p.m. at a residence on Austin Stokes Drive in Falmouth, Massachusetts, a coastal town on Cape Cod. The woman told police she heard noises and went to investigate, only to find that someone had entered through a window in one of her bedrooms.

O'Flaherty allegedly seized her by the neck and shoulders and dragged her into the living room, police said, citing regional CBS affiliate WBZ. He then allegedly attempted to kiss her, shoved her to the floor, and pressed a blanket over her face, restricting her breathing.

Her screams woke her husband, who is also 87 years old, blind, and reliant on a walker. Despite those limitations, his presence was enough to frighten O'Flaherty away. The suspect fled back through the same window he had used to enter the home. "The suspect was not known to the residents," the Falmouth Police Department stated.

Officers arrived at the home at approximately 9:40 p.m. and launched an investigation, but were unable to locate O'Flaherty in the immediate area that night.

Roughly a week later, Mashpee Police — in a town about 10 miles north of Falmouth — responded to a separate breaking and entering call. Investigators traced that suspect back to Falmouth and identified him as O'Flaherty. Falmouth detectives subsequently linked him to the May 25 attack on Austin Stokes Drive.

O'Flaherty was arrested, arraigned in Falmouth District Court, and booked into jail. Police reported no serious injuries to the elderly victim.

Source: Law & Crime