Security Guard Killed 83-Year-Old Man With Tire Jack, Police Say

Authorities say an 83-year-old man has died from head injuries he sustained when an off-duty security guard went on a violent rampage at a Florida assisted living facility, savagely attacking residents with a tire jack.

Joseph Giambrone had been in a coma since the March 27 attack at Atria Evergreen Woods in Spring Hill, which bills itself as a "resort-style" retirement community.

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis described the attacks on Giambrone and another resident, 88-year-old Miriam Lepp, as "beyond comprehension."

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Nienhuis told the Tampa Bay Times that the guard, 22-year-old Brian Christopher Murphy, sneaked into the facility around 12:30 a.m. Murphy, who initially was charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault, has been held without bail since the attack.

Nienhuis said investigators believe that Murphy was living in his car, which was parked a few hundred yards from the facility, and that he was addicted to or under the influence of drugs.

In a statement, officials of Atria Senior Living said that Murphy was hired about four months before the attack and had passed a background check and drug screening.

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Photo: ronen/iStockphoto

 

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