6 days ago
Bartow 'group home' where man was murdered was not licensed by state, being shut down
The Brief
The 'group home' where an 81-year-old man was murdered a little more than a week ago is in the process of being shut down.
The city discovered the renter was operating the home on Blue Bird Avenue illegally and without a license by the state.
The 81-year-old suffered a violent death and was stabbed more than 100 times while he slept by his roommate, who confessed to killing him after just moving into the home.
BARTOW, Fla. - The 'group home' where an 81-year-old man was murdered a little more than a week ago is in the process of being shut down. The city discovered the renter, Eddrena Thornton, was operating the home on Blue Bird Avenue illegally and without a license by the state.
The backstory
According to the Polk County Sherriff's Office, Patrick Benway, 81, suffered a violent death and was stabbed more than 100 times while he slept. His 19-year-old roommate, Moses Ojeda, confessed to killing him after just moving into the home.
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Ojeda has been Baker Acted six times this year, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
"Moses said the person he stabbed and killed was a good person," Judd said. "He was just told he heard sounds, voices in his head to kill the victim."
Dig deeper
"[Thornton] explained to me that it was an independent living facility where the residents lived as a community versus being cared for at an adult care facility," said Trey Towles, the director of Code Compliance and Neighborhood Services.
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Thorton admitted the four or five residents living there would come from hospitals, state agencies, and would be referred by private mental health care entities. She was also charging the residents rent.
The actual owner of the house, a real estate investment company based in Texas, had no idea Thornton was using the home illegally and is in the process of evicting her.
"It's my understanding, based on my conversation with her, she did know he had mental health issues and that he was on medication for mental health, but she felt at that time it wouldn't endanger residents staying at that location," said Towles.
What they're saying
Towles said Ojeda had been referred to Thornton by a mental health organization and his mother made payment arrangements for him to stay at the house for at least a month.
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"His mother told them you have to hide the knives," said Judd.
"[Thornton] was a little unprepared for that statement. However, at the time, it wasn't enough for her to deny him access to the home," said Towles.
"In my estimation he was a ticking time bomb," said the sheriff.
What's next
The city's case is currently open, and it will remain in a pending status until there's evidence the illegal group home is fully closed down. Thornton does operate and live at an adult family care home in the same neighborhood, which is properly licensed.
There is no criminal investigation involving Thornton currently, but FOX 13 has reached out to the State Attorney General's office to see if they've opened an investigation.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Carla Bayron.
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