BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A 77-year-old woman charged with murder in the shooting death of her retirement home roommate had her preliminary hearing moved to next month.
The hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence against Sandra Bonertz to order her to stand trial was postponed Monday, according to court records. It has been rescheduled for March 18.
A caregiver discovered the body of Bonertz’s roommate, Winnie Smith, 83, on July 11 in the room they shared at Pinewood Glen Retirement Community. Bonertz told police Smith “asked me to do it, and I did,” according to court filings.
A manager at the facility told investigators Smith had been confined to a wheelchair as a result of injuries she suffered in a vehicle crash.
Police found a revolver underneath a comforter on Bonertz’s bed, the filings say. It contained five rounds of .38 caliber ammunition, three of which were spent.
Smith was shot three times in the chest, the filings say.
