A son has been accused of bludgeoning his mother to death with a gardening tool in order to inherit her estate.
Derrick Alling, 39, allegedly killed his mother, 60-year-old Carolyn ‘Alesia’ Alling, at her home in Ozark, Missouri, on Thursday.
Police went to the home for a wellness check after Alling’s husband – Derrick’s stepfather – reported that she had not answered his calls for several hours.
The victim’s husband Roger told detectives Derrick had been threatening his mother as he demanded his inheritance in the weeks before her killing.
Derrick was the beneficiary of his mother’s trust.
Officers encountered Derrick at the home as they arrived on Thursday night, and questioned him about his mother, as reported by KY3.
Court documents said Derrick Alling had been threatening his mother and demanding his inheritance in the weeks leading up to her killing
Carolyn ‘Alesia’ Alling, 65, was fatally attacked with a gardening or scraping tool
The suspect allegedly told police that his mother was in the guest house, pictured, and that he did not think she was alive
Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said the something about Derrick’s demeanor alerted them to something being wrong.
‘They just had a gut feeling that something wasn’t quite right, and they acted upon that,’ Cole said. ‘Unfortunately, the gut feeling they had, they found to be true.’
Derrick allegedly told police that his mother was in the guest house on the property, but remained silent when asked if she was okay.
When asked if Alling was alive, her son allegedly told police he did not think so.
That’s when officers detained Alling and began investigating the home.
They eventually found Alling, who had been beaten repeatedly in the head and face with a gardening or scraping tool, per authorities.
The attack on Alling was so severe that it causes several fractures to her skull, police said.
Derrick pleaded not guilty and is being held on no bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for October 14.
The victim often posted traveling photos on Facebook with family and friends – including Derrick
The attack on Alling was so severe that it causes several fractures to her skull, police said
Alling, a licensed dental hygienist, was originally from Missouri but lived in California with Derrick and her late husband and daughter for a while before returning to Ozark, per her obituary.
She often posted traveling photos on Facebook with family and friends – including Derrick.
‘Alesia spent the last twelve years of her life with her loving husband and is survived by him, Roger (“Rocky”) Sweet and four children, Brandon Sweet, Britnee Sweet, Ty Sweet, and Derrick Alling; along with nine grandchildren, several cousins, and many friends who loved her,’ the obituary read.
