Man Leaves Wheelchair-Using Wife on Filthy Floor In Hoarder House for Months Until She Dies: DA

News By TooFab Staff |
Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office

A North Carolina man left his wife lying on the floor for six to eight months, per the DA's Office, and when she told him she was having trouble breathing, he purportedly went to another room to watch TV.

After allegedly sitting by and doing nothing for more than half a year as his wife of 40 years slowly died on the floor of their hoard in Charlotte, North Carolina, a man has been found guilty in relation to her death.

Bonnie Kornhaber, 66, had been hospitalized for a medical condition which ultimately left her using a wheelchair.

When she returned to the couple's home on October 6, 2020, her husband, Louis Kornhaber, 70, "secured her to the chair with a belt," according to a press release from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office.

However, at some point after that, Bonnie managed to fall from her chair, winding up on the floor of the home. There she would remain for six to eight months until she eventually passed away, per the DA.

According to the release, Bonnie told her husband on June 4, 2021, that she was having trouble breathing. But instead of calling 911 right away, he allegedly instead "went into the den to watch television for several hours."

He only finally called for help after he returned hours later and found his wife unresponsive, per the release.

When questioned about this delay, Louis told authorities he failed to call 911 right away -- or at any point over the past months -- because he and his wife were "embarrassed by conditions inside the house."

Detectives who responded to the home described it as a "hoarder house," while first responders said they found Bonnie lying dead "on a pile of trash," "surrounded by spoiled food," according to the release.

The DA's office detailed that she was "covered in her own waste, suffering from extensive sores, with insect activity present in many of the open bed sores on her body."

After four days of deliberation over the 2021 death, a jury found Louis guilty on February 28 of second-degree murder and neglect of a disabled or elder adult resulting in serious physical injury.

He was subsequently sentenced to 94 to 125 months in prison, with credit for time served.