A 20-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after deputies say he repeatedly beat a 65-year-old man inside a Marion County residence, leaving the victim with multiple serious head injuries, including a brain bleed.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 2:40 a.m. on Feb. 16 to an open-line 911 call. The calltaker reported hearing a male, later identified as Preston Lucius Wynn, yelling that he had blood on his hands, calling for an ambulance, describing the victim as looking like a dead body, and making repeated threats to kill him. The male voice also made several racially charged and profane statements during the call, according to the report. A woman could be heard crying in the background.
When deputies arrived at the residence, family members advised that the victim was injured and Wynn was still inside.
Deputy Ryan Mitchell Weaver reported finding Wynn inside the home yelling into a cell phone. The deputy observed blood on Wynn’s forearms and knuckles before detaining him.
Inside a bedroom where the incident allegedly occurred, deputies located the victim suffering from what were described as severe facial injuries. The affidavit states the victim was bleeding from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Blood was observed on a nearby shoe rack and closet door, along with a small pool of blood and the victim’s dentures on the floor. An opened, nearly emptied container of coconut oil was also found near the victim.
Marion County Fire Rescue transported the victim under a trauma alert. A doctor later determined he was suffering from multiple serious head injuries, including a brain bleed, according to the report.
A witness told deputies she heard a disturbance after the victim asked Wynn to turn down a television that had been playing loudly since about 1 a.m. She reported hearing what sounded like tumbling and then saw Wynn standing over the victim, striking him repeatedly while he was already on the ground. The witness estimated Wynn punched the victim more than 10 times and said the victim did not fight back.
In a post-Miranda interview, Wynn told deputies the victim entered his room to confront him about the noise and punched him first. Wynn claimed he acted in self-defense but admitted he punched the victim until he fell to the floor and continued striking him until he believed the victim was choking on his own blood, the affidavit states.
Deputies determined Wynn’s actions constituted aggravated battery due to the extent of the injuries and the age of the victim.
Wynn was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail. He is charged with one count of aggravated battery, a felony offense. Jail records indicate he is being held without bond.
