LANCASTER, Calif. – A 37-year-old man who was being treated for COVID-19 is accused of killing his 82-year-old hospital roommate while the man was praying.
Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department say the a younger man, identified as Jesse Martinez, faces charges of homicide with an increase in hate crime and elder abuse.
Martinez and the 82-year-old victim were housed together in a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital on Dec. 17 when the attack occurred. Both were receiving treatment for COVID-19 symptoms.
“The suspect was upset when the victim began to pray. He then hit the victim with an oxygen tank. read a statement of the sheriff’s department.
The old man died of his wounds the next day. Investigators say the two men did not know each other.
Martinez is scheduled to appear in court later this month.