Man accused of beating 75-year-old in Detroit nursing home pleads not guilty to assault and other charges
The 20-year-old man accused of beating a 75-year-old in a Detroit nursing home pleaded not guilty to assault Sunday, said Maria Miller, Wayne County assistant prosecuting attorney.
Jaden T. Hayden of Ypsilanti was charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, larceny in a building and two counts of stealing/retaining a financial transaction without consent, according to a news release from the Wayne Country Prosecutor’s Office.
Hayden’s arrest and charges come after a video surfaced of him attacking the elderly man — identified as as Norman Bledsoe — at Westwood Nursing Center in Detroit, police said. Both were residents of the nursing home, though Hayden “is not a long-term resident of Westwood, but he was recently admitted for recovery and rehabilitation purposes on a temporary stay,” according to a statement from the nursing home’s attorneys.
Video of the incident shows Bledsoe being repeatedly punched and covered in blood. The suspect can be heard saying, “Get the f*** off my bed” several times in the video after beating the victim.
Nursing home staff heard the incident and assisted Bledsoe, who was taken to the local hospital for treatment after Hayden told staff Bledsoe had fallen out of his bed, the release said.
Hayden “set up his cell phone” in the room, the release said, and he posted videos of the attack on social media. He is also accused of stealing credit cards from the victim, according to the release.
“The alleged actions of this defendant are truly and uniquely disturbing,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. “We must be able to trust our loved ones in specialty care facilities. I truly hope that the facts of this case are one of a kind.”
The incident took place May 10, Worthy’s statement read, but Hayden wasn’t arrested until Thursday as a result of an investigation and information provided to Detroit police.
Hayden appeared in court Sunday where he was given a $300,000 cash bond, the Detroit Police Department told CNN in an email. CNN has not been able to determine if Hayden has legal representation.
He has a probable cause hearing scheduled for June 4 and a preliminary exam on June 11 in the 36th District Court in Detroit, Miller said in an email.
