Son tries to kill mom, 82, because she needed too much help, Coral Springs cops say

A man tried to kill his 82-year-old mother while she was lying in bed because of her health issues that required a lot of assistance, according to Coral Springs police.

Keith Evan Woodward, 53, is now charged with attempted first-degree murder following the Dec. 7 incident, Broward court records show.

Woodward, of Coral Springs, called 911 himself after his mother escaped the attack, and he told police what happened, detectives wrote in an arrest affidavit. He reportedly told dispatch he was “going to hell” for it, police said.

Based on interviews with the mother and son, police determined that at around 11:20 a.m., the two of them were looking for a phone number for a caretaker when Woodward started saying he wanted to kill his mom “due to her early dementia and need for constant assistance,” according to the affidavit.

Woodward grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and headed toward the bedroom where his mom was lying down, then he hit her in the head, police said.

During the struggle, Woodward climbed on top of her and tried to suffocate her with pillows as the mom resisted by pushing and pinching him, while yelling that she couldn’t breathe, according to investigators.

Woodward hit his mom at least twice more with the frying pan before she slid out from under him and fell to the floor, according to the report.

He gave chase as she began running through the house to get away from him, but he stopped once she made it outside through the garage door, police said.

Woodward said he felt guilty and called 911 himself, recounting to dispatch what happened, investigators wrote. He was arrested and transported to the police station, where police said he spoke with them about what he had done, although it’s redacted from the affidavit.

Meanwhile, his mom was taken to Broward Health Coral Springs, where medical staff found “severe bruising” on her forehead and the back of her head, as well as a bruise on her wrist that she said came from the struggle, police wrote.

Investigators said Woodward had premeditated intent to kill his mother. He’s currently being held at Broward’s Main Jail on no bond.