California prosecutors have charged a woman with intentionally hitting a 60-year-old woman with her car after accusing her of stealing a package from her home.
The incident took place on December 8, and the unidentified victim, who suffered major injuries, died on December 23.
Dene Blakely, 39, was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon and later attempted murder. The charge was upgraded to murder after the victim’s death.
The San Pablo Police Department said they were called to the scene and learned that Blakely had rammed the victim after an altercation over a stolen package. The altercation escalated, police said, and ended with Blakely intentionally hitting the victim, who has not been named, with her car.
Blakely was arrested “without incident,” police said.
Police did not say if the victim had actually stolen a package from Blakely’s home.
Blakely was arraigned on the new murder charge on Friday and remains behind bars on a $1 million bail, according to jail records.
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[Featured image: Dene Blakely/Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office]
