BOSTON, Aug. 7, 2017—A former patient at Arbour Hospital in Jamaica Plain was arraigned on a murder charge today following his indictment for the physical assault that claimed the life of his roommate, 51-year-old John Duggie, two years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

HAMEEN EDWARDS (D.O.B. 2/29/76) of Boston was arraigned on an indictment returned Friday charging him with second-degree murder for the July 2, 2015, assault that led to Duggie’s death a month later. Suffolk Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Edward Curley ordered Edwards held without bail; Edwards’ attorney deferred argument on bail until the next court date.

Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight, chief of the DA’s Elders and Persons with Disabilities Unit, told the court that Duggie and Edwards were patients and roommates at Arbour on July 2, 2015, when a staff member heard a loud noise from their room at about 4:30 pm. A patient reported hearing shouting at about the same time.

A staff member entered the room and observed Edwards striking Duggie before raising his hands and saying, “I’m sorry. Kill me.” The room was in disarray and Duggie was suffering from a serious head injury. Edwards allegedly made statements at the scene indicating that he had an “altercation” with Duggie and fell on him.

Arbour Hospital staff called 911 for medical assistance and Duggie was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He remained on life support until Aug. 2, 2015, when he was taken off life support and died of his injuries. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death of complications from blunt force injuries a homicide.

Arbour staff did not notify Boston Police or Suffolk prosecutors of the assault. Several days after the incident, however, the DA’s Elders and Persons with Disabilities Unit received a referral from the Disabled Persons Protection Commission regarding Duggie’s injuries. Suffolk prosecutors notified Boston Police homicide detectives of the referral and launched an extensive investigation in the Suffolk County Grand Jury. Edwards was indicted and taken into custody on Friday.

Edwards is represented by attorney David Grimaldi and will return to court on Sept. 14.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.