A woman was arrested and charged after allegedly beating her roommate at a Bronx hospital to death, according to police.
Racquel Haughton was charged Monday with manslaughter and arrest in the Sept. 10 death Cynthia Vann at Lincoln Hospital, police said.
A motive for the killing wasn’t clear, nor did police know what led up to the beating. The victim’s family and law enforcement sources said the 44-year-old Haughton punched Vann in the head repeatedly. The injuries she suffered were so severe, Vann needed brain surgery, but she later died on Sept. 27.
Prior to that procedure, Vann’s family said she reported the attack to hospital staff.
“My child was barely noticeable. The lord had to tell me that was my child laying in that bed. Face, head swollen, bruises all over her face,” said Rosemany Vann, the victim’s mother. “Doctors talked to us nothing, about how she got there or what happened.”
Vann, 55, had been at Lincoln Hospital while being treated to a liver condition. Her death was ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner.
“She not only said it verbally, she did it in a verbal statement, they knew she was attacked four times. They took Raquel out of the room, but no arrest happened,” said Rev. Kevin McCall.
The Bronx district attorney’s office confirmed that Haughton had been arrested for assaulting a hospital aide and the attack on Vann, whose family and legal team launched an investigation into the death while demanding leaders take action.
“We will investigate we will leave no stone unturned and we will find out what failures took place,” said family attorney John Elefterakis.
Attorney information for Haughton was not immediately made available.