87-year-old’s maggot-infested bed sores were caused by grandson, FL officials say

A Florida jury has ruled that a man caused his 87-year-old’s grandma’s death by neglecting her instead of fulfilling his caretaking duties, officials say.

Allen Arias, of Melbourne, Florida, was convicted June 17 of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person for neglect after the death of his grandmother, according to the Office of the State Attorney of the 18th Judicial Court.

Officials say Arias took his grandmother, Anita Arias, to a hospital in 2019, at which point she was already “covered in bed sores, some of them infested with maggots and other insects.”

Her death was considered “agonizing,” according to the state attorney, who said Arias died from “dehydration, emaciation, sepsis and highly elevated blood sugar.”

At the Arias home, investigators discovered “filthy conditions,” along with diabetes drugs prescribed to the grandmother that she never took, officials said.

The grandson said the 87-year-old would refuse food and medicine, but Assistant State Attorney Tiffany Colon called her treatment “unfair.”

“Elderly people might be set in their ways, but you still need to do what you need to do to take care of them — or you need to ask for help,” she said, according to a news release.

Investigators said Allen Arias failed to provide his grandma with the care she needed and instead used her “pension and social security income to pay for bills and other household expenses,” Florida Today reported in 2019.

He admitted he “slacked off” after checking his grandma out of a care facility in 2018, the publication reported.

Allen Arias, 47, is scheduled to be sentenced in August, officials said. He could receive up to 30 years in prison.

“Ultimately, I’m happy the victim finally got justice, even though she wasn’t here to see it,” Colon said in the news release.

Melbourne is about a 70-mile drive southeast from Orlando.