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Man Allegedly Killed Grandma With Fake Elephant Tusk Because Of "Voodoo Sh*t"
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 17, 2013
Modified Jan 17, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 17, 2013
Modified Jan 17, 2013
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A Harlem man has reportedly confessed to killing his grandmother with a fake elephant tusk because she was planning some "voodoo shit" on him. 26-year-old Dominick Anderson was arraigned yesterday on charges that he beat his grandmother, 62-year-old Beverly Holmes, to death on December 19th. Police say that when they arrived at the family's home on St. Nicholas Avenue that day, Holmes was already dead, and Anderson proceeded to attack them with the broken faux tusk.
Anderson pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree murder, kidnapping and assault. But prosecutors say they already have his confession. According to court papers obtained by the Daily News, Anderson told police, "I did hit my grandmother with a cream-colored elephant tusk, and I did it because she was trying to have me killed. My mother told me that my sister and my grandmother Beverly Holmes were trying to set me up to get killed by some guys. She started doing some voodoo shit. And that’s what triggered me off."
Anderson allegedly beat his sister during the attack as well, but she survived. "When the fight ended, I was standing up, and they were laying down," Anderson allegedly told police afterward. It remains unclear why Anderson believed his sister and grandmother were trying to kill him, and what he suspected their motives might have been. But his attorney, Sam Roberts, said, "There are clearly mental health aspects of this that are in play."
Tagged
harlem
HOMICIDE
murder
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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