Cusimano

When Patricia Thomas goes on trial today, Baltimore County prosecutors hope to convince a judge that she intentionally killed Marion V. Cusimano, an elderly invalid whose body lay for more than a year in Thomas' home in Essex.Thomas, 51, is charged with first-degree murder, abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult and two counts of theft in the wake of Cusimano's death, from what the state medical examiner described as "neglect and malnutrition."The charges highlight what advocates for the elderly say is a growing problem -- abuse of the elderly.

The caregiver for an elderly woman left dead in an Essex home for nearly a year was charged yesterday with first-degree murder in a case that appears to be without recent precedent in Baltimore County.Patricia F. Thomas, 50, was also indicted for abuse of a vulnerable adult and grand theft from both the victim, Marion V. Cusimano, 66, and from the Social Security Administration, which issued her retirement checks.The indictments, returned by a Baltimore County grand jury, came after a monthlong investigation by the state medical examiner's office revealed that Cusimano died from malnutrition and failure to receive medical care for her multiple sclerosis.

Marion Vincent Cusimano was a strong-minded woman who wanted more out of life than she was getting in an Essex nursing home.Determined to live as normally as possible despite using a wheelchair, Cusimano bought a small brick house in 1993 and hired Ronald and Patricia Thomas to care for her.But two weeks ago, her decomposed body was found by police in the back bedroom of the house on Homberg Avenue in Essex, where it had apparently been for almost a...

Marion Vincent Cusimano was a strong-minded woman who wanted more out of life than she was getting in an Essex nursing home.Determined to live as normally as possible despite using a wheelchair, Cusimano bought a small brick house in 1993 and hired Ronald and Patricia Thomas to care for her.But two weeks ago, her decomposed body was found by police in the back bedroom of the house on Homberg Avenue in Essex, where it had apparently been for almost a...

An Essex couple whose dead housemate was left in a back bedroom for nearly a year were in danger of being evicted from the house, according to court documents.Ronald G. and Patricia Thomas, who called police to their home at 215 Homberg Ave. on Thursday to report the death of 66-year-old Marion V. Cusimano, had been negotiating for months with a mortgage company in an effort to continue living there, records show. In January of this year, a judgment for their eviction was obtained although not served.

Baltimore County police continued their investigation yesterday into the death of an Essex woman whose severely decomposed body was found in her room, questioning relatives and friends of the couple who shared the woman's home.The state medical examiner had not determined the cause of Marian V. Cusimano's death as of late yesterday.Officials have said she might have been dead 10 to 14 months.Ronald G. Thomas, 49, and his wife, Patricia, 50, reported Cusimano's death to police Thursday.Police also are investigating complaints filed with the Baltimore County Department of Social Services that Cusimano, 66, had been financially exploited.

The caller told police that an elderly woman living in his Essex home had died in her bed. What he didn't say was she had died almost a year ago -- and was still there.Baltimore County police believe the mummified body discovered under a blanket is that of 66-year-old Marian V. Cusimano, and yesterday they began investigating why the couple who shared Cusimano's home left her corpse in an upstairs bedroom.Police are investigating the reclusive woman's financial situation."They have been looking into the finances of the dead woman -- income from pension checks, disability checks," Baltimore County Police spokesman Bill Toohey said yesterday.

DETROIT -- It rained octopuses in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the New Jersey Devils, and there is every indication it will rain octopuses even larger in Game 2.Tomorrow at noon, Kevin Dean, who co-owns Superior Fish with his brothers Michael and David, will auction for charity Stanley, a 52-pound octopus, and his younger brother, Oscar, 36 pounds."