71-year-old beats nursing home resident to death in fight over laundry, IL cops say

A 71-year-old man is accused of beating a fellow nursing home resident to death in a dispute over a washing machine, Illinois officials say.

Officers with the Joliet Police Department responded to a call from the Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation facility at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, the department said in a Nov. 19 news release.

Investigators found a 61-year-old “unresponsive” in the laundry room on the sixth floor of the building, the release said. Nursing home staff were giving first aid to the man until firefighters arrived, police added.

Police say a resident, William Paschall, attacked another man, repeatedly punching him in the head “after becoming angry about the victim’s use of the washing machine.”

Paschall also “used the victim’s walker in the attack,” police said, adding that the man fell to the ground.

A staff member tried to stop the beating, police said.

The victim, who police have not publicly identified, died at the scene, according to the release.

Paschall was taken into custody and is facing charges of murder and aggravated battery to a person 60 years of age or older, police said.

Joliet is about 35 miles southwest of Chicago.

This story was originally published November 19, 2023 at 1:35 PM with the headline "71-year-old beats nursing home resident to death in fight over laundry, IL cops say."