A Michigan-based nanny, 35-year-old Samantha Rae Booth, has been arrested and charged with the murder of an 83-year-old man, who was the grandfather of the child she was babysitting. Booth is alleged to have stabbed the elderly man multiple times with a screwdriver in the basement of the child’s residence. Court records indicate that Booth was charged with first-degree murder for the death of David Ong.
Booth is also facing additional charges, including one count of second-degree child abuse, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of resisting or obstructing police. The Royal Oak Police Department released a statement detailing the events leading up to the incident.
On the evening of October 24, Ong’s daughter, who was out of town, asked him to check on her 3-year-old daughter. Booth was babysitting the child at her home in the 4300 block of Sheridan Drive, approximately 18 miles northwest of Detroit. Ong arrived at the house but did not contact his daughter, which raised her concerns.
The daughter then reached out to her brother-in-law, asking him to check on her father and daughter. The brother-in-law arrived at the house around 9:25 p.m., entered through the open front door, and heard noises from the basement. He called out to Booth but received no response. Upon investigating the basement, he discovered a horrifying scene.
The police statement described the brother-in-law finding Booth in a frenzied state, covered in blood, with Ong severely injured on the floor. The brother-in-law grabbed the child and tried to escape, fending off Booth’s continued attacks until he managed to escape. Booth, still armed with a screwdriver, pursued them outside.
The brother-in-law and child sought refuge in a neighbor’s house, where they called 911 around 9:30 p.m. Booth reportedly stopped chasing them, dropped the screwdriver, stripped off her clothes, and attempted to flee on foot. She was quickly apprehended by authorities.
The brother-in-law and the child were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and were released shortly after. Booth, who had no previous criminal record, was scheduled for a court arraignment via Zoom on Tuesday morning. However, she reportedly refused to participate in the hearing.
An officer informed the 44th District Court Magistrate Donald Chisholm that Booth was lying naked on the cell floor. The proceedings were delayed for over an hour before Booth voluntarily appeared on camera. The judge ordered her to remain in detention without bond. The date of her next court appearance is yet to be announced.