Naked, sword-wielding man attacked grandmother in bedroom, court hears during guilty plea

An elderly woman attacked by her naked sword-wielding grandson has "gone into hiding" after she nearly lost her hand and foot in the attack, according to the facts of the crime read aloud as Marshall Rath pleaded guilty Thursday in a courtroom in Cochrane, Alta. 

Provincial court Judge Karen Crowshoe accepted Rath's plea to charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. 

Rath was to be released on bail Thursday. He was asked to participate in pre-sentence and risk assessment reports ahead of a sentencing hearing booked for July.

It is almost a year to the day since Rath, 20, violently attacked his 79-year-old grandmother, Elaine Rath, with a sword in the home they shared in Bragg Creek.

While naked, drunk and high on drugs, Rath brought a metre-long sword into his grandmother's room In the early morning on March 9, 2018.

The grandmother was in bed when her grandson began his attack while voicing concerns someone was coming after him, according to the facts read aloud by prosecutor Ron Simenik.

Bedroom 'saturated with blood'

Elaine Rath got off her bed and crawled to a phone, calling 911. When officers arrived, police described the bedroom as "saturated with blood, blood spatter all over walls and floor and a trail of blood in the hallway," said Simenik.

Initially, she was in life-threatening condition. Following extensive surgery, she was lucky not to have lost her hand and foot, according to the facts of the crime.

The victim suffered severe mental and physical trauma, and "she has gone into hiding," said Simenik. 

Although Rath does not dispute the facts of the crime, "he has no recollection of what occurred," said defence lawyer Andrea Urquhart. 

Rath has no family support, according to Urquhart, who said Elaine was "a primary source of support in his life." He will now live at the Mustard Seed in Calgary.

After the attack, neighbours described Rath as troubled and said he recently had gone door-to-door selling homemade knives.

Police confirmed at the time that he made weapons as a hobby.