Great Grandfather, 73, Beaten to Death in His Hospital Bed Allegedly by Another Patient
A California family is mourning the loss of their father after he was beaten to death in his hospital bed allegedly by a fellow patient.
On Jan. 31, police were called to the College Medical Center in Long Beach on reports of a battery, Long Beach Police Department revealed in a press release.
After arriving on the scene, police found 73-year-old Francisco Sanchez-Reyes. The elderly man was badly beaten and suffered horrific injuries to his torso, police said.
Officers allege that Sanchez-Reyes had been attacked by the man he was sharing a room with — 37-year-old patient Reginald Daniel Panthier.
Medical personnel quickly transported Sanchez-Reyes to another hospital in critical condition, however, he died on Feb. 9.
Since his death, Sanchez-Reyes son Ramon launched a GoFundMe in hopes of covering his funeral arrangements.
On the fundraiser, Ramon opened up about his father’s death, explaining Sanchez-Reyes was only supposed to stay in the hospital overnight.
“One week ago my dad went to his hospital because he had a UTI, which he had in the past. The hospital wanted to keep him overnight to do some tests to rule out ulcers. He was hospitalized Friday morning at 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 31 and fully alert and with an expectation to return home possibly the next day,” Ramon wrote.
However, on Feb. 1, Ramon said he received an alarming call from his sister, telling him to rush to the hospital.
Ramon shared that medical personnel were alerted of the incident after a nurse went to check on Sanchez-Reyes in his room and found him lying on the floor bleeding.
“When she asked what happened the attacker confessed that he gave my dad a beating,” Ramon alleged.
Ramon said that after the attack, neurosurgeons informed the family that Sanchez-Reyes needed to get a number of CT scans in order for them to perform surgery on him.
However, soon after, Sanchez-Reyes ended up in a coma and had “extensive bleeding throughout his brain.”
“They couldn’t save him, so a week later he passed away,” Ramon wrote.
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Of his father, Ramon said “He was my first teacher, coach, and mentor, he came here from Mexico to give us more opportunity and a better life. He was the one that taught me about work ethic, respect and being a good human being.”
At this time the GoFundMe has raised over $9,000.
Ramon also opened up about his father to ABC 7, revealing he is survived by 8 children, 24 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
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Panthier was taken into police custody and booked for attempt murder, assault with a deadly weapon that is not a firearm, and producing great bodily harm against an elder on a $1,000,000 bail, police said in the press release.
On Feb. 4, Panthier was officially charged.
Following news of Sanchez-Reyes’ death, detectives are now discussing plans to amend the charges with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office this week.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Panthier has entered a plea, and jail records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
College Medical Center released a statement obtained by ABC 7 saying, “College Medical Center’s deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the deceased. This was a tragic and unforeseeable incident, and College Medical Center is fully cooperating with law enforcement in regards to the criminal investigation and prosecution of the assailant for this random act of violence. The safety and wellbeing of our patients, along with the provision of superior care, remain our highest priority.”
