LANCASTER, California – A 37-year-old man treated for COVID-19 is charged with the murder of his 82-year-old roommate in the hospital while the older man was praying.
Investigators at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department say the younger man, identified as Jesse Martinez, is charged with murder with a hate crime and elder abuse.
Martinez and the 82-year-old victim were housed together in a double room at Antelope Valley Hospital on December 17 when the attack occurred. Both were treated for COVID-19 symptoms.
“The suspect got upset when the victim started to pray. Then he hit the victim with an oxygen tank, ” reads a statement from the sheriff’s department.
The older man died of his injuries the next day. Investigators say the two men did not know each other.
Martinez will appear in court at the end of this month.