FORT WORTH-- A 72-year-old Richland Hills woman has been indicted on an assault charge that accuses her of beating and choking a man with a wooden cane because she believed he was gay and had AIDS.
Her adult son was moving into that man's apartment at the time of the alleged attack in March, Richland Hills police have said.A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Wanda Derby on Sept. 14 on a charge of assault with bodily injury.If convicted, Derby faces a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.Derby referred to the man with a homosexual slur and told authorities that the man "has AIDS and is going to kill her son," Richland Hills police said at the time of the incident.She remained free Monday on $10,000 bail, according to Tarrant County criminal court records.Derby could not be reached Monday for comment.The attack occurred March 28 at the Ash Park Apartments in the 3200 block of Ash Park in Richland HillsDerby is accused of hitting the man, who was not identified, several times with a cane and choking him by placing the cane against his throat.The man's mother saw the attack and went to help.As she called 911, she was hit in the face, Richland Hills police said.The man had marks and bruises on his throat and body and was treated at the scene, police said.Hours before the attack, Derby wrote on her Facebook page: "My son Steven is no longer my son. He has sided with the idiots next door and I guess he [thinks] they will take care of him. He will never get another thing from me or his dad. We have washed our hands of him."On a March 10 Facebook posting, Derby wrote that she had two sons who took care of her and loved them."I also miss the other two sons who are no longer with us. They were great also. Then I have one who no longer matters to me," she noted that day.Derby worked at the American Red Cross of Greater Dallas from August 2008 to April 2009 and as a financial officer with Mental Health Mental Retardation Tarrant County from June 1986 to August 1999, according to her Facebook page.Just days before the attack, Richland Hills police had gone to the complex in response to a disorderly conduct complaint against Derby.Domingo Ramirez Jr.,817-390-7763Twitter: @mingoramirezjrHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
