61-year-old Carson City man arrested for beating 'frail' elderly brother with cane causing brain bleed
Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/03/2023 - 11:05am
A 61-year-old Carson City man was arrested in the 3500 block of Highway 50 E. following a fight between himself and his brother that resulted in several felony charges.
According to the arrest report, Joseph Vigna was arrested Wednesday morning after deputies responded to a report of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm. Vigna had been arrested the previous evening for possessing a firearm as a felon.
Initially, the 71-year-old victim had not wanted to press charges against Vigna. He was transported to the hospital for treatment as a result of the injuries he sustained during the assault. However, early Wednesday morning it was reported that the man was in critical condition and in need of surgery due to bleeding in his brain.
Several witnesses to the incident stated they observed Vigna beating the man with a cane.
Deputies applied for a search warrant and located a 9mm pistol inside of a backpack within the residence. Vigna stated he had found the backpack on a trashcan in San Francisco and only learned it contained the non-serialized pistol later.
While speaking with one of Vigna’s neighbors, they said they had heard Vigna speaking on the phone with someone giving them directions early in the afternoon. A man they didn’t recognize arrived around 7 p.m. and the two argued “for a long time.” At around 11 p.m., they said they heard what sounded like a physical struggle.
Witnesses at a nearby tavern said they separated Vigna and his brother during the fight. After separating Vigna, he allegedly tried to shove the bystander to continue the fight with his brother, who was “bleeding profusely from his face.”
The witness said they brought the injured man to the northwest corner of the motel to wait for medical care and law enforcement. On a search of the area, deputies noted blood patterns i the dirt and a larger blood patch in the northwest corner of the motel.
Other witnesses who broke up the fight said they witnessed Vigna beating the victim with a cane while he was on the ground. Upon breaking up the fight, Vigna raised the cane at a woman in a “threatening manner,” but was stopped by the woman’s boyfriend before he could attack.
When deputies spoke with Vigna, he said he and his brother had made plans to go camping. He said that he began drinking alcohol heavily right after the phone call with his brother where he gave him directions, because he “believed it was a bad idea to meet, as they have a long history of violence between them,” according to the report.
Vigna said he and his brother began arguing, and his brother kept “poking him with his cane.” He said his brother had health and mobility issues, and described him as “frail.”
He said he took his brother’s phone from his hands during the argument, and his brother left the residence and began walking towards his vehicle. Vigna said he came up behind his brother and pushed him hard in the back, and his brother fell face first onto the ground. Vigna then said he jumped on him and began punching him in the head before being pulled off by bystanders.
When deputies asked if he had beaten his brother with his own cane, Vigna “decided that he would only speak with (deputies) in the presence of his attorney,” according to the report.
Vigna was arrested for battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm to an elderly victim, abuse of an older person, felon in possession of a firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Bail: $90,000
