A COVID-19 patient allegedly beat to death his 82 year old roommate with an oxygen tank inside a California hospital last week.
According to ABC 7, the murder occurred on December 17 at the Antelope Valley Hospital.
Jesse Martinez, 37, was being treated at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, police say, and was housed in a two person room with an 82-year-old roommate.
On Dec. 17, Martinez became “upset” with the older man when he began to pray, the sheriff’s department says, and hit him with an oxygen tank.
“The victim was pronounced dead from his injuries the next day. Authorities say the two men did not know each other.
Martinez was arrested at the scene after hospital staff detained him, according to Lt. Brandon Dean, a spokesman with the Sheriff’s Department.
Martinez was charged with murder, with an enhancement for elder abuse and religion-motivated hate crime. His bail is set at $1 million and he’s due to appear in court Monday.