Massachusetts nursing home resident, 76, dies after assault by roommate, 83, officials say

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A 76-year-old man living at a Massachusetts nursing home died Saturday night after he was allegedly attacked by his 83-year-old roommate, officials said

Investigators responded to a report of an assaultive patient at the Oxford Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Haverhill, a city roughly 40 miles north of Boston, the Essex District Attorney's Office said.

Robert Boucher, 76, was found suffering from injuries from a physical assault, Essex District Attorney's Office spokesperson Carrie Kimball told Fox News on Monday. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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Boucher's roommate — Jose Veguilla, 83 — was arrested and taken to the hospital for an evaluation. He's scheduled to be arraigned at Haverhill District Court on Monday.

Kimball said officials don't know what sparked the alleged assault, but said there "may be a question of competency" regarding Veguilla.

A patient of Oxford Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, located in Haverville, Mass., died after he was attacked by his roommate, officials said. (Google)

A daughter of one of the patients at the nursing home told WCVB her father was traumatized by the aftermath of the incident.

“[The patients] all got to see the body rolled out," Erika Wallace said. "I don’t know why they wouldn’t keep them in their rooms but my dad got to see it, so he’s going through having to see the crushed skull. It was just really traumatic.”

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Oxford Rehabilitation said in a statement that nursing home staff "acted quickly and appropriately in the matter" and are cooperating with authorities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.