A 38-year-old woman is accused of killing her mother with what detectives think was a decorative elephant statue — the second such case in Melbourne in a year.

  • Stefanie Dobson of Melbourne accused of killing mom with TV stand statue
  • Detectives said weapon was 'possibly an elephant or Asian style'
  • In 2017, Melbourne man charged with killing roommate with elephant statue

Stefanie Marie Dobson has been charged with second degree murder in the homicide of Susan Dobson last Saturday.

A Melbourne Police affidavit says the department got a 911 call about an unresponsive female on the 600 block of Short Hills Lane. When they got there, they met Stefanie Dobson and her daughter, who said they'd been out all day and found Susan's body.

The responding officers said Susan Dobson appeared to have been killed, with wounds on her head, arms and hands. They also said there was no sign of forced entry.

Detectives later determined that there were indications that there was an attempt to clean up the scene at the home, they said. They determined the attack weapon was a "resin decorative item," "possibly an elephant or Asian style decor" from the television stand, and they said they found pieces of it near Susan Dobson's body and in her hair, they said.

Two friends of Stefanie's told detectives that she told them she wanted her mother dead, according to the affidavit.

Stefanie Dobson was arrested Thursday night and is being held without bond.

In May 2017, a Brevard County grand jury indicted Roger E. Goodrich on a count of premeditated first-degree murder in the beating death of his Melbourne roommate, Michael Barlow. Detectives said Barlow was beaten in the head with a wooden elephant statue.