The son of an elderly woman in New Port Richey has been arrested and charged with her murder.

Detectives arrested Bruce Cardon Martin, 59, on Friday for the alleged murder of his mother, 91-year-old Carolyn Martin.

Bruce lived with his mother at 6626 Florida Avenue, and is accused of striking her and killing her. Her body displayed bruising, multiple contusions, broken fingers and a severely dislocated shoulder.

Neighbors found her body and notified officials on July 28.

It was initially thought that Martin had fallen and died in her home on Tuesday afternoon, but law enforcement officials later ruled her death a homicide.

It’s something that has shocked family and friends: that the kind 91-year-old who held bible study at her home each week could be murdered.

“I’m still in shock, I even called her house the next day just to, maybe she would answer or something,” said Martin’s grandson's girlfriend, Porsha Hughes.

Hughes lived just around the corner from Martin.

“My last conversation with her was Friday,” said Hughes. “I had lunch with her about 12 o'clock, we had sandwiches, we talked about her husband, they were together 69 years.”

Martin became a widow a few years ago.

Detectives said that Bruce checked into the James Haley VA Hospital in Tampa on the same day that her body was found. Martin was charged with second-degree murder and transported to the Hillsborough County jail.