Note: The following is a news release from the Office of the Bucks County District Attorney.
Four Richland Township residents have pleaded guilty to neglecting an elderly relative found dehydrated, malnourished and suffering from severe infections in late 2016.
Albert W. Weaver Jr., his wife Virginia L. Weaver, their daughter Amanda Maria Weaver and her boyfriend Anthony James Dorney each admitted Monday in Bucks County Court to first-degree misdemeanor counts of neglect of a care-dependent person stemming from the years-long neglect and abuse of 84-year-old Albert Weaver Sr.
Clockwise from upper left: Virginia Weaver, Albert W. Weaver Jr., Anthony James Dorney and Amanda Maria Weaver (FILE PHOTO)
An emergency room nurse who treated the man on Nov. 10, 2016 said Weaver Sr.’s was the worst case of neglect she had seen in 11 years on the job, while the paramedic who first responded to his residence said he “looked like a skeleton with skin hanging on him,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed earlier this year.
Virginia Weaver, Amanda Weaver and Dorney also pleaded guilty to theft charges, admitting they stole money from the elderly man and squandered much of it on alcohol, drugs, guns, video games, court costs and other expenditures not related to Weaver Sr.’s care.
The four defendants all were allowed to live rent- and utility-free in a pair of neighboring residences Weaver Sr. owned in the 100 block of Union Road in exchange for caring for him.
An investigation of a bank account belonging to Weaver Sr. and Virginia Weaver showed that between 2013 and early 2017, only $6,417.72 had been spent on his care despite some $150,000 in deposits. Most of the deposits came from Weaver Sr.’s pension and Social Security payments.
Weaver Sr. succumbed to illness just 12 days after the paramedic found him with deep bed sores, unresponsive and cold to the touch inside the garbage-strewn home he shared with his granddaughter and Dorney.
Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. ordered three of the four defendants to serve time in state prison for their role in the man’s neglect. Amanda Weaver will learn her sentence at a later hearing.
“It is incomprehensible to me that a family who claims to love someone could treat him this way,” Bateman said. “I think he was a cash cow for you. You took his money and didn’t give him the slightest bit of care.”
The judge sentenced Dorney, 29, and Virginia Weaver, 49, to each spend two to five years in state prison. Weaver Jr. was ordered to serve 15 to 48 months.
Virginia Weaver, who admitted she continued cashing her father-in-law’s pension checks after his death, also must make restitution of $3,615.06. She apologized for mistreating the man.
“I’m really sorry for everything that happened to him, and I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life,” she said.
Family members called by attorney John Fioravanti to testify on his client’s behalf said Virginia Weaver’s behavior was out of character, noting she has taken care of several elderly families over the last three decades. They pointed to the woman’s bouts with alcoholism and depression as factors contributing to her conduct.
Dorney, who called 911 Nov. 10, 2016 seeking medical attention for Weaver Sr., said he too feels badly for his treatment of the man who housed him for years.
Through questioning by his attorney Sharif Abaza, Dorney highlighted his own use of methamphetamine as contributing to his role in the neglect.
Both Dorney and Virginia Weaver said they have been tasked with supervising inmates in various capacities while at the Bucks County Correctional Facility. Bateman noted they are willing to care for strangers, but decided to neglect Weaver Sr.
Weaver Jr. said he feels “foolish” for what happened to his father, and agreed in court with his attorney Keith Williams’ who said his client “was a bad son.”
The man said he rarely went to visit with his father, despite living next door, and said his father’s extensive injuries and illness could have been prevented had he paid more attention.
The judge pointed out that after years of working as a maintenance man at the Bucks County-run long-term nursing facility Neshaminy Manor, Weaver Jr. should be well aware of just how much care the elderly can require.
Amanda Weaver, 27, through her attorney Bradley Bastedo, requested and was granted a 30-day referral of sentence to receive a mental health evaluation.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kate Kohler. Richland Township Police Department and the Bucks County Detectives investigated.
