Indianapolis woman dies trying to stop sword fight

INDIANAPOLIS – A 77-year-old woman died after she tried to break up an argument that turned into a sword fight between her grandson and brother-in-law, police said.

Franziska Stegbauer was stabbed in the fight, and investigators were trying to determine whether she died from those wounds or a heart attack. Both men were hospitalized with stab wounds from the fight early Thursday.

“We’re unsure yet who started this fight, how the swordplay got involved,” police Sgt. Matthew Mount said. “We’re not sure who it was who stabbed the woman. We’ll have to do some testing on the swords and figure out who had which sword, whose blood is on which sword.”

An autopsy was scheduled for Stegbauer on Thursday.

She was not breathing when officers arrived at about 1 a.m. at the home on the city’s northwest side, and she was later pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

Her brother-in-law, 69-year-old Adolf Stegbauer, suffered several serious stab wounds, police said. He was listed in critical condition in Wishard Hospital’s intensive care unit, a spokesman said.

Her grandson, 39-year-old Chris Rondeau, also was taken with stab wounds to Wishard. Police said he was alert at the scene, but a condition update was not immediately available. Police placed Rondeau under arrest on a preliminary charge of attempted murder. He was being held in the hospital’s detention unit.