Man Who Brutally Beat Neighbor To Death Reportedly Felt Good About It

Police said that a 31-year-old Missouri man brutally beat his elderly neighbor to death last week.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that according to police, Isaac Heath used a baseball bat to beat Eileen Schnitker, 76, to death Wednesday in Berkeley. A witness told cops that after he killed Schnitker, Heath said, “That felt good.”

St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell said that the fact patterns of some crimes leave you "speechless, and this is one of those." The lawyer added that they are not talking about a shootout, but this is a "neighbor checking on her home, and she was savagely beaten.”

After a statue was thrown through Schnitker's window, she stepped onto her porch, said police. Her son, Jason Schneider, who lives a few blocks away, was called by a neighbor, but by the time he got there, his mother was dead and the scene was blocked off, reported New York Post.

Schnitker’s head and face had been badly battered, said police, who also shared that she’d also been stabbed in the abdomen. Police have not publicly speculated on a motive, and family members said that there was no logical reason to target Schnitker.

Niece Cheryl Kaufman said that her aunt was the "most caring, loving. Always positive,” and that she adored her family, and was smart as a "damn whip.”

Heath was reportedly having mental health problems after his parents moved out of their house about a month ago. Neighbor Erin Cooper said that he was "mentally unstable." Cooper, who lives across the street, said that since his parents moved, she has not seen "him leave the house once. Just screaming and loud music.”

Berkeley police Chief Art Jackson said that on the night before Schnitker’s murder, someone called cops to report Heath yelling in his backyard, but by the time officers arrived, Heath was calm.

He was charged with first-degree murder, and if convicted, the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison without the eligibility for parole, according to 5 On Your Side. He was arrested Wednesday at his home without incident. In lieu of $750,000 cash bail, he was being held Thursday in the St. Louis County Jail. He is also charged with armed criminal action.