Edwin Larry Berndt and his brother, Edward Christian Berndt, both 48, are being accused of killing their 89-year-old mother and then living with her decomposing, bug-infested corpse for 3 months.
The twins were arrested Monday by police responding to a welfare check called in by a neighbor after they found Sybil Berndt (the boy’s mother) lying face down on the floor of the hallway of her home. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition and insects were crawling around it, the documents said.
On January 10th, Edwin Berndt said he and his brother were watching the BCS Championship football game when their mother “came in ranting and raving and she then fell down and did not get up.” He said they decided to leave her on the floor because they didn’t have money to provide her with medical treatment.
For the first day, Sybil Berndt was conscious and able to speak, but did not ask for any help, Edwin Berndt said. His brother said they didn’t give her any food or water while she lay on the floor, court documents indicate.
Three days later, on Jan. 13, the elderly woman died, Edwin Berndt told police. He told them he remembered the date because it was a day after her 89th birthday. The brothers then decided to leave her on the floor because they didn’t have money to bury her. However, when police searched the woman’s home they found bank statements totaling $700,000.
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