Tucson, Arizona — A family in Arizona is mourning the loss of a grandmother they describe as a “beacon of light” after an alleged random assault outside her apartment complex left her with fatal brain injuries just days before she was set to celebrate her 62nd birthday and begin the retirement she had spent decades working toward.
The tragic case has now led to a second-degree murder charge, as loved ones remember a woman who had already overcome cancer twice before her life was cut short in what they call a senseless act of violence.
Family Says Grandmother Was Attacked Outside Her Apartment
According to family members, Susan Gehrke was sitting on the patio of her apartment complex in Tucson on the evening of July 24 when a man allegedly approached her and another person.
Police allege that 27-year-old Dahseir Edward Jefferson suddenly punched Gehrke in the face with such force that part of her dentures came out as she fell backward, striking her head on the ground…