69°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Woman at center of shocking elder abuse video takes plea deal, released from jail Thursday

4 years 2 months 4 days ago Thursday, February 13 2020 Feb 13, 2020 February 13, 2020 6:22 PM February 13, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ TV

BATON ROUGE - Lottie Morgan, a woman accused of beating her elderly mother in an infamous viral video in January, took a plea deal and was released from custody Thursday afternoon.

Morgan pleaded guilty to cruelty to the infirmed; A charge of aggravated battery was dropped as part of the deal.

Morgan was able to bond out of jail on a post-conviction bond of $5,000.  

Sentencing was set for May 14 at 9:30 a.m. 

The shocking video of the crime went viral when Lottie Morgan's son posted it on social media and begged for an investigation.  The video appeared to show Morgan repeatedly lashing the elderly woman with a belt while shouting obscenities at her. Morgan's son called BRPD and showed them video of the abuse Jan. 12, leading to her arrest for cruelty to the infirmed. 

Days after Morgan was originally arrested, charges were increased and she was re-arrested amid outcry over the video.

The elderly victim, Willie Mae, spoke with WBRZ in early-February; She was in high spirits in the weeks following the ordeal.

"Everything's going alright. I'm alright," she said. 

Morgan depends on her in-home nurse and grandson for help.  Lottie Morgan has been banned from seeing or going near her. 

"That's my mom, and it hurts. But what happened happened, and it's time for us to move on from this," Michael, the grandson and suspect's son, said. "I just want her to be able to be at peace in her own home."

Morgan's attorney, Dele Adebamiji, defended his client in a previous statement: she was "not the kind of devil everybody is making her out to be" and that she suffered from PTSD. 

Upon being released Morgan has to report to the Division of Probation and Parole within 48 hours and has to complete a Mental Health Evaluation.

She has to abide by a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. 

Cruelty to the infirmed is a felony but jail time is not required, according to Louisiana law. 

*******************

Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days