Woman held in fatal beating of boyfriend’s mother

An argument between a 26-year-old woman and her boyfriend’s mother ended with the mother being bludgeoned to death in the backyard of a San Fernando Valley home, police said.

The dispute erupted between Cecelia Sharkey and her boyfriend’s mother about 11 a.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Victory Boulevard, said Sgt. James Harper of the Los Angeles Police Department.

At least three people witnessed Sharkey attack the woman in the head with a baseball bat, Harper said.

The woman, who was in her mid-50s, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the L.A. County coroner’s office.

After the beating, Sharkey fled to her Mid-Wilshire home, Harper said.

Police executed a search warrant at Sharkey’s home in the 1200 block of South Citrus Avenue and arrested her shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday, Harper said.

Sharkey is being held in lieu of $1-million bond, according to jail records. It’s unclear if she has an attorney.

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