Mother, son indicted on 17 counts each in Madison Township woman's murder

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A mother and son have been indicted of 17 counts each in the death of a 77-year-old Madison Township woman.

Eleanor Robertson was found dead inside her home on Canterbury Drive on June 13 after concerned neighbors noticed the house had been ransacked. On Tuesday, Robertson’s former neighbors, Danna Weimer and Zack Weimer, were indicted for the grandmother’s brutal murder.

Zack Weimer, 22, faces multiple counts of murder, aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, grand theft of a motor vehicle, theft from an elderly person, receiving stolen property and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. His mother, 52-year-old Danna Weimer, faces 17 counts as well, including aggravated murder and a slew of drug-related charges.

Lake County Coroner Dr. Lynn Smith said Robertson’s body was in her bedroom under a pile of clothes and a mattress. She was stabbed about 90 times and suffered puncture wounds to her lung and skull, Smith said. Throughout the house, candles were lit in a likely attempt to burn the place down, with chairs jamming the doors.

Euclid police officers pulled over the Weimers after a statewide alert was issued. Police said the mother and son had property that was stolen from Robertson’s home, including jewelry.

The Weimers were also spotted on surveillance video in Robertson’s stolen Plymouth Voyager on the day of the murder at several places around Ashtabula County, police said.

"We're seeing an increase in burglaries and it's related to heroin use and it's also related to the fact that folks can steal gold and can exchange it quickly for cash -- and a lot of these regulations are in place for pawn shops but aren't in place for these cash for gold locations," said Madison Police Chief Leonard Del Calzo in June.

During an initial hearing, Judge Michael Cicconetti said the case is weak and built on circumstantial evidence. That’s when the case was turned over to a grand jury.