Laura Morgan
A woman who is a double amputee with no legs told police she kept hitting a 73-year-old man with a crowbar until he died, though he pleaded with her to stop.
Laura Lee Morgan, 48, is charged with first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.
Chattanooga Police responded on Saturday at 8:48 p.m. to 3401 S. Orchard Knob Ave., where the body of James Masingill was found in the living room.
Dispatchers said Ms. Morgan had called to say she had murdered the victim two hours earlier and that the crowbar she used was inside the residence. She said she would be waiting for police when they arrived. Officers found her on the front porch in her wheelchair.
Police said Ms. Morgan "admitted that she beat James Masingill with a crowbar as he continually begged for help."
She said she afterward took the victim's wallet and pulled $200 out of it. She said she spent the money on crack cocaine.
Ms. Morgan had been living with the victim.
The suspect, Laura Morgan, 48, called police and stated she had struck James Masingill, 73, whom she lived with at this residence, in the head with a crowbar.
When officers arrived, they found Mr. Masingill inside the residence with serious trauma to his head. He was pronounced dead on the scene.