Sandy MaloneBy Sandy Malone and Holly Matkin
Brooklyn, NY – An 86-year-old woman died after she was punched for getting too close to another woman in a New York hospital, and now prosecutors have charged her attacker with manslaughter and criminally-negligent homicide.
The attack occurred at approximately 2 p.m. on March 28 after octogenarian Janie Marshall went to Woodhull Hospital in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood for treatment of stomach paid related to a bowel obstruction, the New York Daily News reported.
While in the hallway, Marshall grabbed ahold of a metal stand that was near another patient’s bed, according to police.
That’s when the other patient got out of her bed and punched Marshall, knocking her to the ground, the New York Post reported.
The elderly woman cracked her head on the floor as a result of the blow.
Marshall underwent a CT scan and was waiting to be examined by the doctor when hospital personnel found her slumped over at approximately 5:40 p.m., the New York Post reported.
She was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Fortunately, the entire attack was captured on video by hospital surveillance cameras.
The other patient, identified as 32-year-old Cassandra Lundy, told a New York City Department of Health and Hospitals (NYCDHH) police officer that she punched the elderly woman because she “didn’t stay more than six feet away” from her, the New York Post reported.
According to the New York Daily News, Lundy was at the hospital because she had experienced a seizure.
The New York Post reported that she was there awaiting psychiatric treatment.
She was ultimately issued a summons for disorderly conduct and left the hospital without being admitted, but police continued to investigate.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) was not notified about the incident until approximately five hours after Marshall died.
Sources said that the delay in contacting the NYPD was due to the massive influx of coronavirus cases that have left hospital personnel swamped, the New York Post reported.
Lundy has a total of 17 prior arrests on her record, including offenses of strangulation, assault, trespass, and drug possession.
She was arrested on April 2 and charged with manslaughter in the first and second degree, assault in the second degree, and criminally-negligent homicide for the death of Marshall, CNN reported.
Marshall’s neighbors said she was a “nice lady” who was “very helpful,” the New York Post reported.
Her family members said they have had a hard time getting information out of the hospital and have mostly relied on the news media for updates, CNN reported.
Marshall’s grandniece, Antoinette Leonard-Jean Charles, said her great aunt suffered from dementia and may not have understood anything that was happening to her the day she was killed.