Fowler Agenbroad, 80, took over custody of his grandson — who remains unidentified — years ago after both his mother and father died from heroin overdoses.
Agenbroad was found on August 5, 2016, unresponsive inside the home, where police believe he took a brutal beating to the head.
Neighbor Steve Wagner said in an interview with WLWT that he often overheard fighting and yelling going on from across the street.
"The whole thing is, it was a sad situation," Wagner said. "(The grandfather) helped out with the kid. He was always there ... I mean, that's the sad part about it, and the kid never recognized it.”
Another neighbor, Kim Hart, told the news station that Agenbroad would often blame the child’s poor behavior on his deceased father.
"Everything the child did, the grandfather would blame his son, the child's father — 'You're going to be like him,'" she said.
Prosecutor Joe Deters revealed Agenbroad suffered severe trauma to the head in the deadly altercation, which was the cause of death.
"There literally was a hole in the drywall the size of the grandfather's head,” Deters said.
Agenbroad was a longtime deacon and attendee at the Presbyterian Church in Clifton, a parish he, the grandson and his parents were also members of.
During Tuesday’s hearing at the Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the teen denied charges of murder and reckless homicide. He is set to appear back in court March 24.
Deters said the 13-year-old may serve jail time until he’s 21 if convicted on all charges.
Neighbors, who were aware of the toxic situation for months, believe police missed all the warning signs and opportunity to intervene.
"They failed the grandfather. They failed the child," Hart said.
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