Waikiki man cleared after autopsy shows he didn’t fatally assault neighbor
81-year-old Mary Lehr died after being found seriously injured inside her apartment in April
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu police confirm a 73-year-old Waikiki man who was arrested accused of fatally assaulting his 81-year-old neighbor back in April has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
According to the medical examiner the woman’s death was an accident.
Records show Mary Lehr was found pinned under her electric wheelchair inside her Waikiki apartment with suspected ligature marks on her neck.
She died three days later. But according to the Medical Examiner, there was no evidence the 81-year-old had been attacked.
On the afternoon of April 3, police records show a neighbor stopped by Lehr’s home at the Ainahau Vista apartment complex to check in on her.
According to the 81-year-old’s autopsy report, she was found seriously injured “on the ground with the back of her shirt caught on the joystick of her wheelchair.”
EMS rushed Lehr to Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, where she died.
On April 5, Honolulu police arrested Lehr’s 73-year-old neighbor Gary Bechard. Records show he was taken into custody on suspicion of burglary and assault. But the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s office later determined there was “no evidence of foul play.”
HNN Investigates asked retired FBI agent Tom Simon to review Lehr’s autopsy report.
“In this case, the autopsy report was very clear that the cause of death was an accident due to a fall,” Simon said. “This was compounded by the deceased woman’s pneumonia, which impacted her ability to breath while lying on the floor of her home for an extended period of time, which ultimately led to her death.”
HNN Investigates
Lehr’s official cause of death is listed as sepsis due to or as a consequence of acute bronchopneumonia and prolonged immobilization after an apparent fall.
The report said she was also suffering from cerebral palsy and an influenza infection at the time of her death.
As for the suspicious markings found on the 81-year-old’s neck, Simon said, “Evidentially an article of clothing she was wearing left a ligature mark on her neck, which was initially confused with a potential assault wound. The autopsy report puts that to rest. This was a simple tragic accident with no indication of foul play.”
Bechard was released pending investigation shortly after his arrest.
He was never charged with a crime.
HPD confirms the case is now closed.
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