Patient charged with fatally beating roommate at hospital

BOSTON – Prosecutors say a patient at a Boston hospital beat his roommate to death and the staff failed to notify authorities about it.

Hameen Edwards was arraigned Monday on a second-degree murder charge in the 2015 death of 50-year-old John Duggie, of Framingham.

Prosecutors allege Edwards attacked Duggie in the room they shared at Arbour Hospital in the city’s Jamaica Plain neighbourhood on July 2, 2015. Police say staff members had found Edwards kneeling over Duggie. Duggie died a month later.

Prosecutors say police weren’t notified immediately after the assault.

The Boston Globe reports Edwards’ attorney says “there are profound questions” that remain as to what happened in the hospital room.

Arbour Health owns Arbour Hospital and didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking comment.