Homicide detectives probe Ann Klein death
TRENTON » A mentally ill man could face upgraded manslaughter or murder charges in the death of a fellow Ann Klein Forensic Center patient who died five weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage and fractured skull.
Dwayne Hester, 50, who has a history of aggressive behavior, told police he had intentionally attacked 55-year-old Daniel Rodriguez for no apparent reason, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
New Jersey State Police Trooper Jared M. Boyd charged Hester with second-degree aggravated assault on Feb 22, alleging the defendant “recklessly caused serious bodily injury” to Rodriguez at the Trenton-based forensic center.
Hester is accused of striking the victim in the head with a closed fist about 7:30 a.m. Feb. 13. The attack knocked Rodriguez to the ground and caused him to bang his head on the floor, resulting in a cranial fracture and brain hemorrhaging, according to court documents.
Rodriguez died on or about March 21, The Trentonian previously reported, but state police say a medical examiner’s autopsy report remains pending as of Tuesday morning. If Rodriguez’s death is determined to be a homicide caused by the February attack, the state would presumably upgrade the aggravated assault charges to manslaughter or murder.
Ann Klein Forensic Center is a state-run facility that provides care and treatment to individuals suffering from mental illness who are also within the legal system. Hester and Rodriguez were both residing as patients at the facility, which is known to have documented incidents of violence against staff members and against patients every year.
Hester is classified as a schizophrenia patient with paranoia and has three prior aggravated assault convictions for attacks that occurred in the 1980s and ’90s, court documents show. He is originally from Newark.
Surveillance footage shows Hester approaching Rodriguez and striking him from the rear with a closed fist to the head, subsequently knocking him unconscious, Trooper Boyd alleges in his affidavit. “Hester subsequently provided a post-Miranda admission stating that he intentionally attacked for no apparent reason.”
Capital Health Regional Medical Center contacted police hours after the Feb. 13 attack advising that Rodriguez was in the intensive care unit, prompting New Jersey State Police homicide detectives to continue the investigation, according to court documents.
One of those detectives was Boyd, who interviewed both Hester at Ann Klein and Rodriguez at Capital Health following the assault. Rodriguez, however, “had no recollection of the incident,” Boyd states in his affidavit of probable cause.
After Hester gave his interview admitting to the attack, Ann Klein staff members escorted Hester to his room and placed him on seclusion and observation, according to court documents.
State law requires state psychiatric hospitals and the Ann Klein Forensic Center to report any major and moderate injuries that occur on the premises. Ann Klein in 2017 reported two substantiated injury reports. One incident was a patient-on-patient assault that resulted in a major injury, according to the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. A major injury refers to an injury that requires hospital treatment, especially skull fractures and broken bones.
The other serious 2017 assault at Ann Klein involved a patient or service recipient who assaulted a staff member, resulting in a moderate injury, according to state data. A moderate injury is one that requires treatment beyond basic first aid, such as lacerations that require stitches or a human bite that breaks through the victim’s skin.
The Ann Klein Forensic Center serves 199 clients who have been determined by the courts to be “not guilty by reason of insanity” or “incompetent to stand trial” or who require special security measures due to the nature of their illness, according to the state’s mental health division.