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Chelsea Wright and Andrew Marks are accused of conspiring to lure an elderly man with romance so they could beat and rob him on Feb. 22, 2024, in Volusia County, Florida, cops say. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
A Florida pair conspired to lure a 73-year-old man with the promise of a date so they could beat and rob him on the side of a road, authorities say.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Chelsea Wright, 34, and Andrew Marks, 33, on charges of robbery with a weapon and aggravated battery on a victim over the age of 65.
The victim showed up at a hospital just before 5 a.m. Feb. 22 with significant lacerations to his head that required staples, and his eye was swollen shut. He also had injuries to his torso and arms, deputies said in a press release issued Saturday. He told deputies a male suspect hit him multiple times with a metal object and robbed him of his wallet.
Detectives later learned that the victim met with Wright at a Daytona Beach bar to chat about their relationship, authorities said. Wright allegedly invited the victim back to her home and he followed her in his car. At one point, Wright picked up a man — later identified as Marks — on the side of the road and she later dropped him off near a home, deputies said.
The victim got out of his car and walked up to Wright’s car.
“That’s when the passenger reappeared, hitting the victim in the head with a hard metal object, and continuing to beat him when he fell to the ground in the fetal position,” the press release said.
Marks allegedly stole the victim’s wallet and the two suspects fled, leaving the victim bleeding on the ground.
Cops quickly identified Wright as the suspect and pulled her over for a traffic infraction the day after the robbery, the press release said. She had drugs in her car and deputies took her into custody for drug possession and a parole violation, authorities said.
In an interview with detectives, Wright initially tried to claim that the attacker was an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease, authorities said. Investigators claimed they uncovered text messages between Wright and Marks, her ex-boyfriend, that showed she planned the robbery. Deputies arrested Marks on Friday.
Both remain at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.
