Heather Cummings, 53, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for her role in the shocking murder of her 81-year-old mother at a senior living facility in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors say she held her mother’s wrists while her son allegedly strangled the elderly woman using a handbag strap bought from a Dollar Tree.
Cummings pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Cleo Loizides, who was found unresponsive in her room at Commonwealth Senior Living on June 30, 2024. She died the next day, and an autopsy ruled her death a homicide.
According to court documents, during the fatal encounter, Heather Cummings told her mother, “This is for the best. You know what you did to my dad.”
Authorities say Cummings had traveled from Indiana with her son, Clifton Cummings, 24, to carry out the killing. Clifton later confessed to police that he used a Dollar Tree purse strap to strangle his grandmother, while his mother held her down. Heather reportedly told her mother, “Just let go. It’s for the best,” as the act unfolded.
Both mother and son were charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder on July 9, 2024. Heather pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Friday. Clifton Cummings is scheduled for a bench trial on August 4.
During the sentencing hearing, Heather Cummings addressed the court, accusing her mother of being responsible for her father’s death and describing years of physical abuse. Despite that, she said she still loved and missed her mother.
Prosecutors, however, said Heather showed no remorse after the killing, and even spoke about wanting to write a book about her father’s photography and “move on peacefully” once the trial concluded.
She will now serve 40 years behind bars. Her son still faces trial for his alleged role in the murder.
