The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning at a condo in the 1600 block of Huntington Park, Rochester Hills. Responding to a welfare check, first responders said the body of a 44-year-old man was found deceased at the scene.
According to the elderly victim, who has not been named, the assailant assaulted him using furniture.
The victim said the attack ended after he pretended to be dead. Items involved in the assault included a chair and possibly a pair of scissors, authorities said.
The man told investigators that he did not know his attacker, The Oakland Press newspaper reported.
The Rochester Hills homeowner said the intruder had threatened to kill him during the assault, before claiming that he was also planning to take his own life.
“The victim stated he heard glass break in his home, went to investigate, and was attacked by the suspect,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, describing the incident. “The suspect used furniture to go after the elderly man and stated he wanted to see someone die before he killed himself. The victim pretended to be dead and the suspect stopped the attack.”
Preliminary investigation suggests the intruder died from injuries sustained while breaking though a window, law enforcement officials told WXYZ this week.
Lt. Stephen Jacobs said: “[The suspect] had massive wounds to his leg, to his arms and stuff that we believe probably happened when he tried to enter through the broken window. The victim had a strong will to survive and fought back very well. I think that’s why he is alive today.”
Police said a neighbor raised the alarm after spotting the broken window and blood on a door. The victim was taken to hospital, where he was listed in a serious, but stable, condition. It was not immediately clear how long the alleged assailant had been inside the man’s home.
A full autopsy on the suspect was conducted by the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office yesterday. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The police investigation remains ongoing.
The city website says Rochester Hills is comprised of 32.2 square miles and is situated in the east central portion of Oakland County. It has a population of approximately 70,000 citizens.
