A California coronavirus patient was charged with murder, hate crime and elder abuse after allegedly murdering his hospital roommate who also had COVID-19, NBC News reports.
Jesse Martinez, 37, is said to have hit the 82-year-old Spanish victim with an oxygen tank. According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Martinez became angry after the older man began to pray.
The victim was also sick with the coronavirus and was treated with Martinez in a double room in the hospital.
The incident at Antelope Valley Hospital, located in Lancaster, California, occurred on December 17. The victim died of his injuries the next day.
Authorities said Martinez and the victim did not know each other, police said.
Martinez’s bail is set at $ 1 million and he will appear in Antelope Valley court on Monday.