SALISBURY — Charges for a woman accused of assault with a deadly weapon earlier this month have been upgraded to first-degree murder.
According to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the victim from the April 9 incident, 93-year-old Richard Shoff, succumbed to his injuries on April 18. The accused, 58-year-old Yorleni Shoff, who was the victim’s wife, had been released from custody the day before after posting bond.
After detectives were notified of the victim’s death, which occurred while he was receiving treatment at Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte, the case turned into a homicide investigation.
“Based on vidence collected and the findings of the investigation, his death is being investigated as a homicide because of the injuries sustained during the assault,” noted the sheriff’s office in a release.
On April 21, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Yorleni Shoff, upgrading her charges to first-degree murder. She was located and taken back into custody at a hotel on Bendix Drive in Salisbury without incident.
The incident
On April 9, around 2 a.m., Rowan County deputies responded to the Meadow Lane residence after a 911 caller, identified as Yorleni Shoff, reported that her husband was lying on the floor bleeding.
Upon arrival, deputies observed evidence of a violent altercation inside the home, including an amount of blood described as “significant,” which lead them to believe and assault had occurred.
Richard Shoff was reportedly unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital with severe head injuries. During the investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered a broken vase believed to have been used as the weapon in the assault.
Yorleni Shoff is currently being held at the Rowan County Detention Center without bond. She was scheduled to appear in court in Salisbury on Wednesday for her first appearance on the murder charge.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Lt. Ryan Barkley 704-216-8711 or Sgt. Kevin Holshouser 704-216-8683.
