A 48-year-old D.C. man pleaded guilty Tuesday in two attacks in which he posed as a maintenance man to gain entry into the elderly victim's apartment.
Tony Ford, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree burglary and a firearms charge. He faces up to 75 years in prison.
The attacks occurred in June, and both of Ford's victims were in their 90s.
According to prosecutors, on June 19, Ford knocked on the door of an apartment at a complex for senior citizens in the 1400 block of Florida Avenue NE. The victim, 91, opened the door. Ford struck the woman several times in the mouth with his fist, pushed her to the floor and tied her up. When she screamed, he threatened to killer her and stole $23.
The second attack happened June 26 at an apartment building in the 1200 block of G Street SE. He told a 94-year-old resident that he was there to check the leaks in his bathroom. He grabbed the victim from behind and slammed the man into his bed. He tied the man up and fled with about $133.
Surveillance footage from one of the burglaries was broadcast on local newscasts and on The Washington Examiner website and authorities asked the public for help in identifying the assailant.
Ford told an individual that he intended to kill someone who he thought might contact the police. At the time he made the remarks, Ford was armed with a .45-caliber revolver.
The individual contacted police, and Ford was arrested on June 28.