Officials: COVID-19 patient beat fellow patient to death at Antelope Valley Hospital
KABC
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LANCASTER, Calif. A COVID-19 patient allegedly beat a fellow patient to death inside Antelope Valley Hospital, officials say.
The gruesome murder happened the morning of Dec. 17. Investigators say a man in the COVID-19 unit beat his roommate, a man in his 80s, severely with an oxygen tank.
The victim died the day after the attack.
The two were strangers to each other. A motive for the attack is unclear.
The suspect was arrested and has been charged with murder, with an enhancement based on the victim s age. His name has not been released.
82-year-old COVID-19 patient beaten to death at hospital in Lancaster, deputies say
By KJ Hiramoto
Rapid rise in COVID-19 cases hitting SoCal hospitals
LANCASTER, Calif. - An 82-year-old man was beaten to death inside the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, according to deputies.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department responded to a call from the hospital on Thursday, December 17 around 9:45 a.m.
Deputies say the elderly man was getting treatment from the hospital for COVID-19 symptoms and was staying in a 2-person room with the assault suspect, 37-year-old Jesse Martinez. According to LASD, Martinez became upset when the 82-year-old patient started praying.
COVID Patient Beat Hospital Roommate To Death With Oxygen Tank, Police Say
On 12/23/20 at 9:50 AM EST
A coronavirus patient has been charged after he allegedly beat his elderly hospital roommate to death with an oxygen tank.
The incident took place at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, a city in Los Angeles County, California last week, KABC reported.
Sheriff s deputies told the station that a man in the hospital s COVID-19 unit brutally beat his roommate, an 82-year-old man, with the oxygen tank on the morning of December 17. The victim of the attack died the next day.
The two men did not know each other, according to the station, and investigators are working to determine the motive for the attack.
Elderly California hospital patient slain; roommate held
December 23, 2020 GMT
LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) An elderly man hospitalized in Southern California for treatment of COVID-19 was fatally struck by a roommate who became annoyed when the victim began praying, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.
The 82-year-old victim was struck with an oxygen tank on Dec. 17 while housed in a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster and died the next day, the department said in a statement. His name was not released.
The suspect, Jesse Martinez, 37, was arrested and charged with murder and other crimes, the department said.