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