92-year-old man dies facing manslaughter charge in fatal attack at Stuart nursing home
STUART – State prosecutors dropped a charge of manslaughter with a weapon filed against a 92-year-old man accused in November of fatally beating a fellow resident at the Inspiritas of Stuart, an assisted living facility, court records show.
Wallace A. Server, 92, who had been in custody at the Martin County Jail since his arrest Nov. 16, died on March 18, according to court filings.
He was accused of using a golf club to kill 87-year-old Gene Parnell during a Nov. 5 assault at Inspiritás of Stuart at 500 S.E. Indian Street, where the men lived in adjoining rooms.
Parnell sustained blunt-force trauma injuries and was treated for several days at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. He was moved to hospice care on Nov. 14, and died two days later, Stuart police reported at the time.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be homicide from multiple blunt-force trauma.
Assistant State Attorney David Lustgarten on Thursday said Server’s death prompted the state to drop the case.
“The defendant passed away and as a result, we dismissed the charges,” he said, which included the manslaughter count and one count of aggravated battery on an elderly person.
Server was accused of entering Parnell’s room and attacking him with a golf club, causing traumatic injuries to his head, face, brain, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Server.
The lawsuit filed Jan. 31 on behalf of Parnell’s wife, Carole Parnell, accuses Server of battery, negligence and wrongful death and seeks at least $50,000 in damages, court records show.
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Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 92-year-old man dies facing manslaughter tied to nursing home attack
