| For Immediate Release Case #10ZF0094
|
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
81-YEAR-OLD MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED ON
INDICTMENT FOR MURDERING 94-YEAR-OLD ROOMMATE IN REHAB CENTER BY REPEATEDLY HITTING HIM IN HEAD WITH METAL ROD
SANTA ANA – An 81-year-old man will be arraigned on a grand jury indictment for murdering his 94-year-old roommate by repeatedly hitting him in the head with a metal rod while the two were living in a rehabilitation center recovering from hip surgeries. William Leo McDougall, 81, Laguna Woods, was indicted by the Grand Jury on Nov. 15, 2010, on one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison if convicted. The People will be requesting the defendant be held on $1 million bail at his arraignment tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office released a press release Oct. 4, 2010, with the following information:
On Oct. 1, 2010, McDougall was recovering from a hip surgery at Palm Terrace Healthcare Center in Laguna Woods. The defendant is accused of becoming angry with his 94-year-old roommate, Manh Van Nguyen, who was singing in their room in Vietnamese while also recovering from a hip surgery.
McDougall is accused of taking a metal rod from the closet in their room and hitting Nguyen multiple times in the head. A nurse, who had been approaching the room, witnessed the incident. The defendant was restrained by staff.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where he died due to blunt force trauma to the head.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
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