COVID patient beat hospital roommate to death with oxygen tank: cops
December 23, 2020 | 12:56pm |
A coronavirus patient in California allegedly beat his hospital roommate to death with an oxygen tank — because he was upset the fellow COVID-19 sufferer had begun to pray, police said.
Jesse Martinez, 37, allegedly carried out the brutal attack at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, a city in LA County, about 9:45 a.m. Thursday, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
The unidentified victim, who was described as an 82-year-old Hispanic man, had shared a room with Martinez, police said, adding that the two men did not know each other.
The victim died of his injuries at about 10:20 a.m. Friday, police said.
“The suspect became upset when the victim started to pray. He then struck the victim with an oxygen tank,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Martinez was charged with murder, with a hate crime enhancement, and elder abuse. His bail was set at $1 million and he is due to appear in Antelope Valley Court on Dec. 28.
The investigation into the attack inside the hospital’s COVID-19 unit is ongoing.
A hospital spokeswoman told The Post that it would not comment due to the investigation and referred inquiries to police.