KENNER – The elderly man who was attacked with a hammer by a teenager who then stole his car has died.
Eighty-nine-year-old Phillip Lynch died this morning, 25 days after a 16-year-old attacked him and then fled in Lynch’s car.
Lynch’s 70-year-old wife Anita was also injured in the violent attack.
She managed to make it to a neighbor’s house to contact police after the severe beating, according to the Kenner Police Department.
Detectives later found a hammer covered in the blood and hair of the victims inside their house.
Kenner Police Chief Michael Glaser said the department is looking into upgrading the charges against the teenage suspect, but that decision will be put on hold pending the review of autopsy results.
“On behalf of the Kenner Police Department, we wish to express our sympathy and condolences to the Lynch family, and ask our community to embrace and pray for them during this time,” Glaser said.