Woman, 72, seriously wounded in stabbing; two arrested

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Edward Brown (left) and Andrew Medley (Photo courtesy of the Broward Sheriff's Office / July 12, 2013)

By Erika Pesantes, Sun Sentinel 9:52 p.m. EDT, July 12, 2013

In an attack so vicious it left a 72-year-old woman with liver damage and no spleen, a robber stabbed her in the driveway of a Fort Lauderdale home before taking her necklace and purse, police said.

But hours after Alysan Reda was seriously wounded, officers found an unoccupied rental car that had a bloody knife inside and the robbers' prints, a police report said.

Following the evidence trail, officers on Tuesday arrested suspect Edward Brown, 24, and his alleged accomplice, Andrew Medley, 19, on charges of attempted felony murder and armed robbery, according to police reports.

Reda, of Oakland Park, was taken after the June 27 attack to Broward Health Medical Center, where she underwent surgery. Her latest condition was unavailable.

The robbery happened about 5 p.m., when Reda was visiting her friend in the 4500 block of Northwest 12th Terrace to get her hair done.

As Reda got out of her car, Brown approached her, stabbed her in the side and grabbed her purse and necklace, police said. Brown then fled in a car driven by Medley, the report said.

Witnesses told investigators that Brown got into a white, four-door Ford.

Shortly before 11:45 that same night, police answered a report of a separate robbery involving two knife-wielding men and were led to the 1000 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue with the help of a police dog.

There, they found the car Medley was believed to have been driving. On the back seat of the parked white 2003 Ford Focus was the bloody knife, according to the police report. Police got consent to search the car and recovered prints that were a match for Brown and Medley, the report said.

Medley told investigators that he waited in the car after driving Brown to meet a girl and that a panicked Brown returned to the car admitting he had robbed a woman, the report said.
Brown denied robbing anyone, but admitted being in the car with Medley the day of the stabbing, police said. He also admitted touching the knife, the report said.

The suspects, both of Fort Lauderdale, remained Friday in Broward County jail without bond, records show.

epesantes@tribune.com or 954-356-4543 or Twitter @epesantes

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