Man Charged In Murder Of 93-Year-Old Stamford Woman: Police

STAMFORD, CT — It was a combination of "old-fashioned police work" and "21st century investigative techniques" that led police to arrest Robert Simmons, 51, who is accused of killing Isabella Mehner, 93, of Stamford, police announced Wednesday.

Simmons is being held in lieu of a $2 million bond. He was arraigned at Superior Court in Stamford Wednesday afternoon and is charged with murder, felony murder and home invasion.

Mehner was found dead on Sept. 25 at her Cove Road house in what appeared to be a fall down the stairs, but police quickly determined she had been the victim of a homicide.

A 12-page arrest warrant obtained by Patch revealed new details concerning what led police to arrest Simmons. Mehner's body was discovered at the bottom of the home's basement stairs by her daughter, who immediately contacted police.

The daughter told police she had spoken to Mehner on the phone earlier that day around 3 p.m., but became concerned when she could not contact her mother later that evening.

When she and two other family members came to the house to check on Mehner, they found the side door to the house was unlocked and the basement door, which was typically open, was closed, the warrant reads.

Officers responded to the home and Mehner was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the warrant. Officers noted there was "a significant amount of blood covering the left side of [the victim's] head," as well as cuts on the side of her face and on her hand.

Evidence collected by officers at the home included a metal mop handle and bottles of laundry detergent found on the staircase, according to the warrant.

Mehner's wallet was found on the basement floor with cash missing, and a jewelry box in her bedroom was "open and appeared to be disturbed," according to the warrant. A wedding band and an engagement ring that family members told officers Mehner "always wears" were also missing.

"Based on the missing items, along with the injuries sustained by the victim and the blood splatter patterns at the scene, it is believed that this was not the result of a common, accidental slip and fall, and additional investigation into criminality needed to be conducted," the warrant reads.

An autopsy conducted on Sept. 26 determined the cause of death to be "blunt impact injuries of head and extremities" and was ruled a homicide. A number of bruises and cuts were noted on the victim's body, including a "fracture to the left side of the skull," according to the warrant.

Officers reviewed video footage from nearby homes and businesses, which showed a man "[walk] right up the driveway" of Mehner's home and go inside through the side door. The footage also showed the man exit through the same door approximately eight minutes later and leave the property, according to the warrant.

On Sept. 27, officers noticed a man, later identified as Simmons, wearing clothing similar to those worn by the person in the video footage and asked him to come to the department for questioning.

Police seized his clothing and cellphone "as evidence under exigent circumstances," the warrant reads.

While speaking with police, the accused denied being on the east side of Stamford or in the area of Cove Road at any point in the day on Sept. 25, according to the warrant. He also denied knowing Mehner or ever being at her house.

Police later interviewed a family member who said he had "employed [the accused] on and off for the last four years" at his company and was "aware of several separate occasions" in which he and Simmons were at Mehner's home to work on faulty drainpipes, according to the warrant.

Following further investigation, officers applied for a warrant for the accused's arrest, which was approved on Nov. 13.

See also: 93 Year-Old Woman's Death Ruled A Homicide: Stamford Police

"The Stamford Police Department is very proud of the efforts of all our officers who put countless hours into this case," police said in a statement. "We truly appreciated all the assistance we received from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the State of Connecticut Crime Lab and the Connecticut State Attorney's Office. It is our hope that this arrest can bring some peace to the family and friends of Isabella Mehner."