A 79-year-old Florida man has been charged with the murder of his roommate at an assisted living facility in Miami.
Jerome John Babij faces a second degree murder charge, according to WPLG.
A police report says that officers were called to the Princess Gardens Assisted Living Facility at about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday for a report about two residents who were fighting.
The responding officers found the victim in a bedroom and nursing staff holding Babij down in a hallway.
Witnesses said they heard an commotion inside the room, where Babij and his victim had been roommates for about 6 months. They found Babij sitting on the bed with his legs wrapped around his victim, choking him with his hands wrapped around his neck. The victim shouted out that “he’s trying to kill me,” and staff managed to drag Babij away.
He reported kicked the victim in the head and leg as he dragged out, and grabbed a fire extinguisher, trying to attack staff with it.
The staff held him on the floor until police arrived, but it was too late to save the victim. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition but later died.
Babij was treated for minor injuries to his hand.
Officials said Babij and the man he murdered had no problems prior to Tuesday. Police did not say what led to the fatal fight.
According to WTVJ, Babij allegedly said while at the hospital himself that his victim “pulled a gun on me.” Authorites did not find any firearms when they searched room after the fatal incident.
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[Featured image: Jerome John Babij/Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation]
