REPORT: Death at retirement home may have been accidental

MINT HILL, N.C. — Channel 9 is learning new details about how a woman at an assisted living home died. A man who worked at the center, in Mint Hill, is accused of sexually assaulting her.

Doris Starnes’ autopsy report showed her death may have been an accident.

She died after complications from blunt force injury in May, according to the medical examiner.

William Shaw Jr. was charged with sexually assaulting the 86-year-old woman at the Lawyers Glen Retirement Center, where he was working.

She was admitted to a hospital and died a few days later.
 
Starnes' injuries occurred while she was receiving hygiene care and may not have been intentional, according to the autopsy report.
 
"The possibility that injury was accidental in manner, rather than intentional, given the described circumstances of the event, cannot be excluded," the autopsy reported stated.

"More or less, now it's to the point where, 'Hey, we got a lot of evidence and it's time to start making some decisions,'" Starnes' family attorney said. "So I'd say, within the next weeks to come within the next month or so, we're going to start really seeing where this case is going to go."

The autopsy report will now go to the District Attorney's Office, which will then decide whether Starnes' death should be treated as a homicide.