Twins accused in death of mother, 89
The brothers left her body on the floor for months, police allegeTwin brothers have been charged with allowing their elderly mother to die on the floor of the home where she had fallen, then leaving the body there for
three months while they lived in the house.
Edward Larry Berndt and Edwin Christian Berndt, both 48, are charged with felony murder in the death of Sybil Berndt, 89, whose body was discovered inside the family home at 8402 Glenscot about 4:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Houston Police Department.
Police said Sybil Berndt had been
dead since Jan. 13. Her sons said she had fallen three days earlier.
An officer was dispatched to the home after receiving a call to check on Sybil Berndt. After arriving and knocking on the door, one of the twins allowed the officer inside house, which was in "deplorable condition and smelled terribly," according to court records.
The officer found Sybil Berndt’s body lying face-down and
badly decomposing on the floor in the front foyer, court records state.
The brothers told investigators
they were their mother’s caregivers. According to court records, they told police they were
trying to watch the BCS Championship football game on Jan. 10 when their mother came in the room "ranting and raving."
The brothers told police that’s when their mother fell and did not get up. The pair then decided that they did not have the money to provide medical treatment for the woman and decided to leave her on the floor, without providing her with food or water, court records state.
Edwin Berndt told investigators that his mother was conscious for about a day after she fell and that she died two days later, a day after her 89th birthday.
Because they said they also
did not have the money for the funeral, they told police they left her on the floor after she died.