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A 79-year-old resident was arrested for allegedly strangling and killing his roommate at an assisted living facility in the Flagami neighborhood of Miami.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning at the Princess Gardens facilities and has left both other residents and the local community in shock, as they are not accustomed to episodes of violence in this type of setting.
A fatal altercation
On Tuesday morning, around 8:15 a.m., Miami police responded to an emergency call from the center located at 5120 NW 4th Terrace.
According to the police report -quoted by local media- two adult men were involved in a physical altercation in one of the rooms of the center.
Upon arriving at the scene, the officers found one of the residents unconscious on the bedroom floor and Jerome John Babij, 79 years old, being restrained by nursing staff in the hallway.
The two men had shared a room for about six months without any previous incidents occurring.
However, that morning everything changed suddenly and tragically.
Witnesses to the incident stated that upon hearing screams, they rushed to the room and found an alarming scene: Babij was sitting on the bed with the victim on the floor between his legs, pressing his neck with both hands.
"He's trying to kill me!" shouted the victim desperately before losing consciousness, according to witnesses.
A violent attempt at defense
While the staff attempted to intervene, Babij became extremely aggressive. According to the arrest report, he kicked the victim in the head and in the leg while being dragged out of the room.
He also attempted to attack the witnesses, and at one point, he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall with the apparent intention of assaulting them.
He even attempted to re-enter the room before being subdued and held by the staff until the police arrived, as revealed by NBC.
Both residents were transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The victim, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was admitted in critical condition and later passed away.
Babij was treated for minor injuries to his hand and then was arrested and formally charged with second-degree murder.
The suspect's version
During the journey to the hospital, Babij offered a spontaneous explanation that he would later repeat to the authorities: “He pointed a gun at me,” he asserted, thus justifying his violent reaction.
However, after searching the room, the police found no firearms or evidence to support that claim.
The arrest report states that Babij also shouted during the attack: "He tried to kill me!"
The investigation is ongoing, but so far there is no material evidence to support his claim of self-defense.
The tragedy deeply shocked the neighbors in the area, who were used to seeing ambulances in the center due to common medical emergencies among the elderly, but never a crime scene.
“They are elderly, nothing like this has ever happened... all the nurses are very good,” declared a neighbor who preferred to remain anonymous to Telemundo 51.
“It’s frightening, knowing that a death occurred just two houses away from where you live. It’s a shame,” said Aylin Guillén, a resident of the area.
Another neighbor, Cristina Manso, added: "I hope it doesn't happen again... I don't know how something like this can be stopped."
The investigation continues
The scene was cordoned off with yellow tape while police officers collected evidence and interviewed witnesses.
The Miami Police Department confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing.
For now, Jerome John Babij remains in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, awaiting bail to be set.
Although facilities like Princess Gardens are intended to provide care and supervision for elderly adults, the protocols for managing conflicts among older residents—some of whom may have cognitive impairments or mental health issues—are once again under scrutiny.
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