Jury selection got underway Thursday for the trial of a convicted felon accused of fatally beating his 83-year-old grandmother at her Menifee home.
Andrew Daniel Joseph, 45, is charged with murder, elder abuse and sentence-enhancing allegations of inflicting great bodily injury on a person over 70 years old and misusing a position of trust.
Joseph, who is being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center, allegedly killed Ethel Mae Hayes in September 2020.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Matthew Perantoni summoned multiple panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice Thursday for screening as to their availability and qualifications. The process is expected to continue into next week.
The alleged attack occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 18, 2020, at Hayes’ single-story residence in the 26000 block of Ridgemoor Drive, near Menifee Road.
According to the Menifee Police Department, Joseph allegedly struck Hayes, with whom he was staying, several times in the face, possibly during an argument. The victim managed to walk to a neighbor’s home, where she asked for help, at which point paramedics and police were called.
Patrol officers arrived minutes later and detained Joseph for questioning, while his grandmother was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
She succumbed to her injuries two days later.
Joseph was initially booked into jail for assault and elder abuse, but re-booked on the murder allegation after the victim’s death.
“Ethel passed away due to severe head injuries inflicted by her grandson,” the woman’s nephew, Steven Lloyd, wrote in a letter to the court during the summer, after a trial date was confirmed. “Her … life was cut short in a manner that is both heartbreaking and incomprehensible. Ethel was a source of immense love and support for those around her. She was a victim of a senseless and violent act by someone who should have been a source of support and care. We hope for a resolution that acknowledges … the profound loss experienced by us, her loved ones.”
Joseph could face life in prison if convicted.
According to court records, he has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily injury.