The estate of a woman killed last year at a Rock Hill Assisted living home is suing the facility and several of its employees, alleging that the crime could have been prevented. Pauline Cook, 82, was found dead in her shower the day after she reported to staff members of the home and police that someone had been forging her checks.
Braquette Walton, a 30-year-old nurse’s assistant who eventually confessed to the crime, was arrested in connection with the killing. Walton was charged with murder, abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, burglary and forgery.
Other employees being implicated in connection with the crime allegedly knew of Cook’s suspicions of the forgery and took no immediate actions to prevent the criminal conduct. At the time of the killing Walton was not scheduled to work, and therefore, had no authorization and was not permitted to be on the premises of the facility. Nevertheless, Walton managed to bypass several security measures, wrongfully enter the home, and sneak into the victim’s room unnoticed. There, a violent struggle ensued and Walton ultimately smothered the woman death. Cook’s lifeless body was then dragged to the shower in an attempt to make it appear as though she accidentally fell while bathing.
Cook’s estate is seeking compensation and punitive damages for wrongful death, negligence and wonton and reckless misconduct. Walton is being held at Moss Justice Center in York and faces 30 years to life in prison for the murder charge alone.
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