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97-year-old California woman killed and stuffed in trunk by her grandson and his girlfriend, authorities say

Brian Wiggins, 40, and his girlfriend, Dozsha Beckwith, 31, have been charged with alleged murder

Michelle Del Rey
Washington D.C.
Monday 27 January 2025 20:01 EST
Brian Wiggins, 40, and Dozcha Beckwith, 31, charged after police found the man’s grandmother’s body in his car trunk
Brian Wiggins, 40, and Dozcha Beckwith, 31, charged after police found the man’s grandmother’s body in his car trunk (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office)

A 97-year-old woman was killed and her body stuffed in the trunk of a car by her adult grandson and his girlfriend, according to police.

Brian Wiggins, 40, and his girlfriend, Dozsha Beckwith, 31, were arrested and charged with homicide, burglary and accessory after the fact. 

On Friday afternoon, deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office responded to a city residence after neighbors called and requested a welfare check for their elderly neighbor. The woman, who lived alone, had not been seen or heard from in days, neighbors said.

When officials arrived, the woman’s grandson and his girlfriend answered the door. Wiggins told officials his grandmother had left the residence in an Uber to visit his father in an assisted living facility.

The sheriff’s office said deputies observed several broken safes in the living room and torn-up carpet. The home also looked as if it had been ransacked. Out of concern for the elderly woman, deputies detained Wiggins and Beckwith.

Authorities then conducted a search of the residence that included the garage, where they found a car registered to Wiggins. That’s where they found the deceased body of the man’s grandmother.

The victim’s name has not yet been released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.

Police said they later determined the couple forced their way into the woman’s home seeking a place to stay. When she asked them to leave, Wiggins allegedly beat her to death. Once she was deceased, he and his girlfriend put her body in the trunk of the vehicle, police said.

Wiggins and Beckwith are scheduled to appear in Sacramento County Main Jail on January 28.

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