A patient at Norristown (Pa.) State Hospital is facing first-degree murder charges after police say he killed his roommate during a July 14 altercation, ABC affiliate WPVI reported July 16.
Police responded to the state-run psychiatric hospital around 9:45 p.m. Eastern time, after hospital staff found the 25-year-old victim unresponsive in his bed. He was later pronounced dead, and an autopsy identified the cause of death as asphyxiation due to neck compression.
Staff members discovered the victim shortly after the suspect, 34-year-old Kyle Samuels-Robey, asked nurses for ice for a swollen hand. Mr. Samuels-Robey allegedly told staff members that he "beat up" and "choked out" the victim for touching his books, according to court documents cited by WPVI.
Mr. Samuels-Robey is being held at Montgomery County Correctional facility without bail, according to NBC affiliate WCAU. His preliminary hearing is set for July 25.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which operates the hospital, told Becker's it cannot comment on specific incidents or investigations and referred all questions to local law enforcement.