Don't Give Power of Attorney to the Wrong Person

Jan. 5, 2009 — -- At 83, Betty Halligan had lived a long and happy life, but after her husband died she needed extra care.

Betty Halligan was suffering from dementia and diabetes, so her grandson Michael Halligan and his girlfriend Daphne Wood moved into her Spokane, Wash., home to help her out. Or so she thought.

Betty Halligan's son, Dick Halligan, and his wife, Gail Halligan, lived in another state. At first they were happy that their mom had help, but later they became concerned when they learned she had signed over her power of attorney to their nephew. Dick Halligan was convinced his nephew was stealing from his mother.

"We knew it was happening. We just couldn't convince the right people to let us step in and try to help," Dick Halligan said.

His mother was in denial, Dick and Gail Halligan said. She simply wouldn't believe that her grandson would steal from her.

"They had convinced her to sign the deed to the house over to them, with the thought that they would stay and take care of her for the rest of life," Dick Halligan said. "As soon as the deed came in the mail, they started the paperwork to get an eviction notice to get her out of the house."

With her life savings depleted and about to be evicted from her own home, Betty Halligan finally reached out to her daughter-in-law for help.

"Betty called me and she was whispering and she said, 'I need help.' She said, 'They are hurting me and they have taken all my money.' My heart just sank. She was so defenseless," Gail Halligan said.

The police got involved and discovered Betty Halligan was terrified.

"When I talked to Betty she was afraid they were going to kill her. She was really afraid," said Detective Kirk Kimberly of the Spokane Police Department.

Police raided the home and uncovered evidence that ultimately sent Michael Halligan and Wood to prison for more than two years. They were convicted of second-degree theft and forgery.

Betty Halligan witnessed her grandson's trial and later moved to an assisted living center, where she lived until she passed away in June.

"She was never the same after this," Gail Halligan said. "She died of disappointment and a broken heart."