Female victim of hammer attack released from hospital

Lewisburg, Pa. — A 64-year-old Union County woman who had life-threatening injuries from a hammer attack was released from the hospital Tuesday.

The woman's husband, Robert D. Kitchens, 66, remains incarcerated on attempted homicide charges after he allegedly hit her in the back of the head with a hammer.

Kitchens and his wife were at their Buffalo Township home on June 16 when he allegedly took a wood-handled hammer and hit her in the back of the head, causing a contusion, according to Trp. Tyler Watson of state police at Milton.

The victim's daughter brought her on June 21 to the emergency department at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg. Hospital staff conducted a CT scan which showed a lesion in her brain and fluid buildup, according to the affidavit. The victim was then transported to Geisinger Medical Center for further treatment and had "life-threatening" injuries as of Friday, according to police.

Police interviewed the victim's two daughters, who told said the attack occurred between 12:30 and 5 p.m. at the Kitchens' home.

Court records show that Kitchens previously had been convicted on harassment charges for incidents occurring on June 23, 2009; April 10, 2009; and May 15, 2008.

On-call District Judge Bo Trawitz arraigned Kitchens Friday on charges of criminal attempted homicide, felony aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, misdemeanors of simple assault, and summary harassment. Trawitz denied Kitchens bail due to "no conditions to assure safety of victim or community," according to court documents.

Kitchen remains in Union County Prison, awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. July 2 at the office of District Judge Jeffrey Mensch.

Docket Sheet

Court Summary