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Moscow Man Sentenced for Starvation Death of Boarder

A Moscow, Idaho man has pleaded guilty to neglect in the death of a 67-year old man in his care. 25-year old Charles W. Wright pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult. Two other felony charges were still pending.

68-year old Lee O. Pohrman died in November 2013 at a Moscow hospital. An autopsy listed malnutrition and starvation as the cause of death. A primary care provider at the Good Samaritan Village in Moscow said that Pohrman weighed a healthy 162 pounds when he voluntarily left the facility in April that year. When he died, Pohrman weighed 97 pounds.

Because of a stroke, Pohrman was partially paralyzed, and he suffered from several other ailments as well. Against medical advice, he elected to move out of the facility into Wright's home. Authorities said that Wright and 22-year old Lindsay Winter, who lives with him, collected more than $40,000 in care claims for Pohrman, far more than the amount they should have been paid.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Winter has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts, and her trial is set for May 18th.

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