An elderly couple is set to describe a terrifying attack which took place in their home in The Villages.
The 91-year-old wife and her 89-year-old husband will be individually deposed Friday in the criminal case against their alleged assailant, 56-year-old Robert Connor II, who continues to be held without bond at the Marion County Jail.
The couple had been cleaning up after breakfast when they heard a knock at their front door. The husband, who was confined to a wheelchair due to a broken hip, was in the kitchen and his wife answered the door, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Connor was at the door “sweating profusely” and asked for water. The wife allowed him into their home and gave him a glass of water. He sat down in the kitchen near a sliding glass door. The former prison inmate asked to use a phone and the wife allowed him to use their landline.
She noticed that he was “faking” like he was calling someone. When he got off the phone, Connor told the couple he needed “gas money.” The husband pulled out his wallet and the wife handed Connor $35. He said it was “not enough” and began demanding more money. He also asked the couple for their bank account information.
He forced the wife into a kitchen chair and tied her arms together with black tape. Connor also used the black tape to secure the husband’s arms to his wheelchair.
Connor went into the master bedroom and began “rummaging” through the couple’s belongings. He obtained the keys to their car and went into the garage.
The wife, whose hands had been taped but had not been secured to the chair, was able to lock Connor out of the home. When Connor “jiggled” the handle to re-enter the home, he discovered it was locked and kicked in the door. He fled in their white 2006 Cadillac DTS. The car was later recovered.
When deputies arrived they obtained DNA samples that eventually led to Connor. In January, the couple identified Connor in a photo lineup. A warrant was issued and he was found later that month and taken into custody.
Connor is scheduled to go on trial in November in Marion County Court.
Connor was released from state prison on Dec. 8, 2022 after serving time on charges of fraud, dealing in stolen property and being in possession of a weapon following a felony conviction.
