North Alabama man facing new charges related to break-in, attack on 2 elderly women

A Florence man is facing several new charges related to the break-in and beating of two north Alabama women in June.

According to court documents, Michael Joe Kirkland Jr., 34, has been indicted on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of first degree burglary, two counts of first degree robbery, first degree sodomy, third degree property theft, and three counts of fraudulent use of a credit card.

The charges stem from an incident June 22, when Florence police say Kirkland beat two north Alabama women, leaving one with a fractured spine. Investigators say he left another alone only after she stopped moving as though dead.

A hearing is set for October.

According to police, officers were called to a home in the 400 block of Howell Street at about 5:30 p.m. that day. Inside the home were two people with multiple injuries.

A 79-year-old female was transported to UAB Hospital by AirEvac, and a 76-year-old female was taken to North Alabama Medical Center.

Police said Kirkland was arrested after officers reviewed video from a doorbell camera of a suspect leaving the home. They also recovered evidence connecting Kirkland to the incident.

According to court documents, Kirkland gained entry to the house when he knocked on the door of the 79-year-old’s home and asked for a glass of water.

Once inside, he knocked her to the floor, struck her in the face, and tied her hands and feet using a sash from a robe. He threatened to kill her with a knife and threw her onto a bed. He then shoved her in a closet and shut the door.

A 76-year-old caregiver came into the house using a key and discovered the woman in the closet. Kirkland, according to documents, struck her in the face with a lamp and another object, and told her he would have to kill her since she had seen his face.

She gave him her vehicle keys, and he then beat her until she lay motionless.