73-year-old man punched his nursing home roommate to death, Missouri police say

When a nurse walked into a bedroom at a Missouri nursing home, the employee found a resident lying on his bed — not breathing, police said, according to KMOV.

The man, 69-year-old Larry Harris, looked like he had been struck in the head many times, according to court documents obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The St. Louis County Police Department was called to The Estates of Spanish Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation facility at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, WDAF reported. When officers arrived, Harris was dead, according to the station.

Police said Harris was beaten to death, KSDK reported.

The man’s roommate — 73-year-old Willie Clemons — later admitted that he punched Harris “multiple times while he was on top of him on a bed,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

Clemons has since been charged with one count of second-degree murder, KMOV reported. He was booked into jail on a $250,000 bond.

The attack is still under investigation, KSDK reported.

This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 3:35 PM.