Woman, 81, Pleads Not Guilty in Beating Death
An 81-year-old Modesto woman has pleaded not guilty to charges that she beat her 77-year-old husband to death because she thought he was cheating on her.
Elizabeth Roderick appeared pale and feeble in her red jail jumpsuit during her arraignment Monday in Stanislaus County Municipal Court.
Roderick suspected her husband of extramarital affairs when she attacked him March 31 at their mobile home, neighbors and police reports said. An autopsy showed that Joseph Roderick died from head injuries and three broken ribs.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 27. Elizabeth Roderick remained in jail on $1 million bail.
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