A 73-year-old man died Sunday, more than a week after he was beaten by a patient he was sharing a hospital room with in Long Beach, California, police say.
Francisco Sanchez-Reyes sustained major injuries to his upper torso on Jan. 31 after he was assaulted by Reginald Daniel Panthier, Long Beach police said.
Sanchez-Reyes died of his injuries Sunday morning.
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Sanchez-Reyes, of Long Beach, had been taken to Memorial Medical Center in critical condition after the beating. Panthier, 37, also of Long Beach, was arrested Friday. Police said the arrest and the assault occurred at the same location, which, according to a booking log, was the address of College Medical Center. The hospital did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Sanchez-Reyes initially went to the hospital Jan. 31 because he had a urinary tract infection, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by Ramon Sanchez, his son.
Sanchez-Reyes was a father of eight and grandfather of 24, according to NBC Los Angeles and City News Service of Los Angeles.
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Sanchez said that the motive was unknown and that his father’s unexpected death had left their family brokenhearted.
“He was my first teacher, coach, and mentor, he came here from Mexico to give us more opportunity and a better life,” Sanchez wrote on GoFundMe. “He was the one that taught me about work ethic, respect and being a good human being.”
Panthier was charged last week with assault with a deadly weapon that is not a firearm and with producing great bodily harm against an elder. The charges are expected to be upgraded, police said.
He was being held on $155,000 bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. Panthier is next due in court Thursday.
