An elderly Dutch woman was beaten beyond recognition and left dying on the floor of her own home after a suspected Bosnian burglar broke in during the night, prosecutors told a court on Tuesday.

The 78-year-old victim, named locally as Mrs. Bos, was found curled up in a fetal position in the hallway of her house in Bunschoten after allegedly being attacked during a violent burglary on June 6 last year. She had suffered severe injuries to her head, neck, and body, and died two days later.

Prosecutors say the 44-year-old Bosnian suspect stole money and the watch from the victim’s wrist before fleeing to Serbia. His DNA was allegedly found under one of her fingernails, and on the wrist where she had been wearing the watch, evidence prosecutors say shows the elderly woman fought for her life as she was robbed.

As reported by RTV Utrecht, the suspect has admitted to breaking into the home to steal valuables but denies assaulting Mrs. Bos. His lawyer claimed the pair startled each other upstairs and that the woman fell after the suspect pushed past her while trying to escape, an account prosecutors dismissed as implausible.

The victim had only recently returned from a family holiday in the south of France when she was discovered by one of her daughters. Prosecutors told the preliminary hearing that the elderly woman had likely been lying there for hours. Her face was so badly bruised that her daughter could hardly identify her.

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Investigators believe the suspect searched both the upper and lower floors of the house. His fingerprints were also allegedly found on the victim’s jewelry box and wallet.

The attack is being treated as a random crime. According to prosecutors, the suspect had already driven a car into a canal while driving without a license earlier that night, then smashed the front window of a nearby house and broke in.

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After the fatal burglary, the Bosnian suspect fled to Serbia. Dutch police and prosecutors quickly identified and located him, but he was not extradited back to the Netherlands until months later.

The migrant did not attend the preliminary hearing in person, citing ill health.

He is facing a charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence in the Netherlands of 30 years in prison.

The defense attempted to seek bail ahead of a full hearing in November, but given that the suspect has no fixed address, had already absconded, and was being charged with killing someone, the court refused.