A CORONAVIRUS patient who allegedly beat a fellow sufferer to death for praying inside a hospital in Los Angeles County has been charged with murder.
Jesse Martinez, 37, is accused of beating up his 82-year-old roommate at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, California, on Dec. 17.
Both men were being treated for Covid-19.
“The suspect became upset when the victim started to pray,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, according to ABC 7.
“He then struck the victim with an oxygen tank.”
The victim, who was Catholic, died the following day from the injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Hospital staff detained Martinez and he was arrested on site, sheriff’s department spokesman Lt. Brandon Dean told the newspaper.
Martinez has been charged with murder with an enhancement for hate crime motivated by religion and elder abuse.
His bail was set at $1million and his court date is on Monday.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said the crime “shocked and saddened” him.
“These families were already experiencing a hardship and now this—it’s senseless,” Parris said.
The suspect and victim reportedly did not know each other.
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