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A Minnesota hospital patient has been charged with murder after allegedly attacking a health center security guard. Christmas.
Jonathan Winch, 35, of Wisconsin, was charged with murder Andrea Merrell, 43, was severely beaten outside M Health Fairview Lakes Hospital in Wyoming, about 33 miles northeast of Minneapolis. KARE 11 reports.
According to a criminal complaint, Merrell was working security at the hospital on the evening of Dec. 25 when a patient named Winch fled the emergency room after being medically detained.
First responders found the guard with “severe head trauma, difficulty breathing and a very weak pulse.” CBS News Minnesota reports.
She was taken to an area hospital and died two days after the attack. The Ramsey County medical examiner determined her cause of death to be “head trauma resulting from assault.”
When police arrived, around 5:30 p.m., they made contact with Winch who was trying to get into the hospital’s security van. As an officer drove up to the squad car, Winch allegedly jumped onto the squad car’s windshield.
After trying to remove Winch from the windshield, officers pushed him to the ground and then tased him when he failed to comply with law enforcement’s commands, according to the indictment.
Court documents say Winch was involved in a physical altercation with an officer for several minutes before backup officers arrived to help detain him. Prosecutors allege that during the fight, Winch told officers, “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
Security footage reviewed by police also reportedly showed Winch and Merrell getting into a physical altercation that ended with Winch on top of Merrell and punching her multiple times as she lay on the ground.
Winch faces a second-degree murder charge. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.
Merrell’s loved ones say she was called to public service.
“She was passionate about what she wanted to achieve,” her friend David Velasquez told CBS. “To have it cut short because she dedicated herself to a greater cause is a true testament to her.”
Merrell’s employer said in a statement that she was a “valued member of our security team.”
M Health Fairview said: “Andrea was a valued member of our safety team and our thoughts are with her loved ones and colleagues during this extremely difficult time. We are focused on supporting our team and ensuring they have the resources they need.”