Charlotte Simons feels lucky to be alive.
The Tigard, Oregon woman says that on Super Bowl Sunday her roommate, Leo Miller, 71, attacked her as she sat in her recliner watching TV.
She said: ‘He came in and stood right there in front of me and said, “I’m going to kill you, you b****.”‘
According to court documents reported in The Oregonian, Miller was upset about the amount of utility bills he had to pay.
Charlotte Simons, seen in her recliner, says that is how she was sitting when she was attacked on February 4
Simons tells KGW TV it was a bag like this one that he used to try to cover her nose and mouth
Simons told TV station KGW that he had a small plastic bag and, ‘he tried to shut part of my nose down, tried to block my mouth off. I went limp.’ Simons, 74, said she played dead so he’d leave her alone.
He allegedly continued to punch her until she called for help using a Lifeline device that she wears around her neck.
She told dispatchers: ‘He’s beating the hell out of me. I need an ambulance and police.’
Simons always wears this Lifeline device, and used it during the assault to call for help
Leo Miller, 71, seen in his mugshot, has been charged with attempted murder and assault, as well as unlawful use of a weapon and strangulation
Video courtesy KOIN
According to court documents, a police officer saw Miller yelling as cops entered the apartment.
Documents further state that by the time officers arrived, Simons was bruised, her right eye was swollen shut, and her nose was bloody.
Court documents also say that Miller and Simons had shared the apartment for less than a year. They met when Simons placed and add on Craigslist.
Simons told KGW that some things were odd right away. The station reports that Miller made Simons turn her head when she walked by his bedroom. He also insisted she wear headphones to watch TV.
Miller was indicted on a number of charges, including attempted murder, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and strangulation.
He is being held in the Washington County Jail.
Simons is recovering at home.