A Grant County jury found a Leola man guilting of tying his mother up in her own home, heating her with a hammer and then leaving her bleeding and battered as he fled in her car. The jury then sentenced him to two life terms in prison.
Roy A. Hendrix, 49, was charged with four different crimes in connection with the October 29, 2017 attack on his mother, Judy Hendrix, who lived on Main Street in Leola. He was charged with attempted capital murder, kidnapping, theft of property and aggravated robbery. A 12-man jury found him not guilty of the aggravated robbery charge, but guilty of all three remaining charges.
Last October, Judy Hendrix, who was 68 then, was found by Leola Constable Marty Dockery in her home. She had been beaten and was in dire need of medical attention. She had been attacked, with her head wounded and her feet tied together at the ankles with a cord. Her car was also missing.
Representing Hendrix was Public Defender Phil Wilson, and representing the state were Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Howell and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Norman Frisby.
Judy Hendrix said that she doesn’t remember much from the day she was attacked. She explained that she had eaten dinner with her sister and had just come home. The next thing she said she can remember was waking up yelling in the hospital.
Since the attack, Judy Hendrix said that she cannot hear out of her right ear and has problems hearing out of her left ear. She is no longer able to drive her car, and she has trouble with balance and walking. She also said her head still hurts almost a year later.
Roy Hendrix told Grant County Sheriff’s Department Detective Sam Shepherd that he had been kicked out of the halfway house for being drunk on vodka and high on meth. He wanted to move back in with his mother and she told him that he could not.
After deliberations, the jury sentenced Roy Hendrix to a life sentence for attempted capital murder and a second life sentence for the kidnapping charge. He received a $10,000 fine for the theft of property charge that resulted from the theft of Judy Hendrix’ car.
