California man, 73, beaten to death by hospital roommate, police say

LONG BEACH, Calif. — A California grandfather died from his injuries Sunday after police said he was attacked by another patient in the hospital room they shared, authorities said Monday.

Francisco Sanchez-Reyes, 73, of Long Beach, died from injuries to his upper torso he sustained Jan. 31, according to the Long Beach Police Department. He sustained major injuries to his upper torso.

Reginald Daniel Panthier, 37, of Long Beach, was originally taken into custody and booked on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon that’s not a firearm and producing great bodily harm against an elder, the Press-Telegram of Long Beach reported.

Long Beach police said they plan to amend those charges this week in the wake of Sanchez-Reyes’ death, KCAL reported. Panthier is being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the Long Beach City Jail, the television station reported.

Panthier is scheduled to appear at the Long Beach Superior Court on Thursday, KNBC reported.

Sanchez-Reyes’ son, Ramon Sanchez, 48, told the television station his father had gone to College Medical Center in Long Beach to treat a urinary tract infection. Doctors decided to keep him overnight to ensure he was not suffering from an ulcer, KNBC reported.

“Right now, we don’t know anything about what happened,” Sanchez told the Press-Telegram. “All we know is this thing happened and now we’re dealing with it. My dad is gone.”

The motive for the attack on Sanchez-Reyes remains under investigation, Long Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer De Prez told the newspaper.

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