Inset: Allen Arias (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The home where he starved and neglected his grandmother to death (Google Maps).
A 47-year-old caregiver in Florida is potentially facing a long prison sentence due to his involvement in the “agonizing” 2019 death of his 87-year-old grandmother, who passed away suffering from starvation, dehydration, and was found covered in infected, insect-infested bedsores.
A jury in Brevard County determined Allen G. Arias was guilty of one count of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person in connection to the death of Anita Arias, as reported by authorities.
Based on a news release from the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, it took jurors 17 hours of deliberation before they concluded to convict Arias.
Prosecutors said that Arias in 2019 brought his grandmother to Holmes Regional Medical Center for treatment of numerous ailments. The hospital is about 185 miles north of Miami. According to law enforcement, she was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival.
Medical staff at the facility said they immediately called law enforcement authorities after noticing that the elderly woman was “covered in bed sores, some of them infested with maggots and other insects.”
“These ulcers were located along the back and legs of the deceased. Ulcers located on her feet had active insect activity, live maggots, that did not appear to be fresh,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Officers with the Melbourne Police Department responded to the call and obtained a search warrant for the home in the 1100 block of Count Street which Anita Arias owned and where Allen Arias lived as her legal caregiver. Police said they found “filthy conditions” inside the home, and specifically in Anita Arias’ bedroom.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Additionally, investigators said they recovered “diabetes drugs that had been prescribed to her but never administered.”
More information about the circumstances of Anita Arias’ death were revealed through evidence presented during the subsequent criminal proceedings.
“At trial in Viera, Assistant State Attorneys Tiffany Colon and Mike Doyle presented autopsy findings that Anita Arias died from dehydration, emaciation, sepsis, and highly elevated blood sugar,” the release states. “Prosecutors pointed to [Allen Arias’] acknowledgement of serving as Anita Arias’ caretaker — who was aware of her diabetes and mobility issues — while living in the home she owned. And they showed jurors photos of the woman’s extensive, infected bedsores.”
Allen Arias’ defense attorney had several family members testify in court that Anita Arias was a “lifelong curmudgeon and hoarder” who would regularly refuse to eat, take medication, or attend her doctors appointments, but jurors ultimately found that Allen Arias was responsible for ensuring she was mentally and physically cared for.
“It’s unfair to say she died the way she lived,” Colon said in a statement following the verdict. “Elderly people might be set in their ways, but you still need to do what you need to do to take care of them — or you need to ask for help.”
Following Tuesday’s verdict, Allen Arias was taken into custody and transported to Brevard County Jail to await his sentencing hearing, which will take place on Aug. 20, 2025. He is facing a maximum possible penalty of up to 30 years in a Florida state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Colon added that she was ultimately happy that Anita Arias received justice, “even though she wasn’t here to see it.”
