Charges Dismissed: Man, 95, Killed Assisted Living Worker Over Money

[Sugar Cookie]

The 95-year-old man accused of shooting an employee at his assisted living center in Lafayette is facing a charge of first-degree murder. A police report released on Thursday states Okey Payne confessed to killing Legacy Assisted Living employee Ricardo Medina-Rojas.

Investigators say Payne believed workers at the facility, located at 225 Waneka Parkway, were stealing from him, drugging him and ultimately trying to kill him. He also allegedly thought his ex-wife was working with the staff to try to steal all of his money. Police say all of those claims were investigated by the Lafayette Police Department and Adult Protective Services and none have been substantiated.

The arrest affidavit states that Payne shot Medina-Rojas in the head in the facility’s lobby Wednesday morning after confronting him about stealing $200 from his wallet. Payne then went back to his room and police arrested him there.

In an interview with detectives, Payne allegedly said that staff at Legacy had told him he could not have a gun if he was living there and had taken a rifle and a handgun from him. Okey still had a pistol, which he said was his father’s from World War I.

Lafayette Murder Suspect Okey Payne, 95, Allegedly Confessed To Shooting Ricardo Medina-Rojas In Head

The 95-year-old man accused of shooting an employee at his assisted living center is facing a charge of first-degree murder.

denver.cbslocal.com

 

[Inferus]

I see Smoke survived.

 

[Symmachus]

Okey Payne is a rather folksy name. Quite befitting of a 95-year-old who would murder one of his nursing home caretakers.

In an interview with detectives, Payne allegedly said that staff at Legacy had told him he could not have a gun if he was living there and had taken a rifle and a handgun from him. Okey still had a pistol, which he said was his father’s from World War I.

Nothing says old-fashioned like a guy who owns a WWI pistol... that was his father's!

Also, just for the hell of it:

"Little Lulie" by Dick Justice

 

[Sejanus]

Nothing Okey about this Payne.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

They probably were stealing his money

What the hell are they going to do with Okey, surely they can't send him to prison?

 

[Satanica]

Yeah, they were definitely stealing from him in the nursing home. That's how the workers supplement their low wages, ya know. Once they had to take the first guns, they should've searched that room like it was a prison cell and found the remaining weapon. From what I observed, there's a fine line between patient safety and patient confidentiality and privacy. My mother had all kinds of shit in her purse that the nursing home staff didn't know about, but I took care of it myself. The one time she had $20 I gave her for the hair salon, it was stolen before she could get it done.

 

[cubby]

He may be convicted but he'll never go to prison. He's too old and frail and loony for prison. Possibly a secure ward somewhere if he lives long enough for the trial date to come around.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The murder case against a 96-year-old man accused of killing an assisted living employee has been dismissed after doctors said it was unlikely he would ever be fit to stand trial.

Okey Payne had been charged with first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Ricardo Medina-Rojas, as well as two counts of felony menacing.

But defense attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing medical opinions stating it was unlikely Payne would ever be restored to competency. Prosecutors did not object to the motion to dismiss in their own response.

“The defendant committed an unjustified, brutal murder,” the response read. “Given his age, mental condition, and competency status, the People cannot disprove the determinations by the doctors.”

Payne will now be admitted to a secure unit at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.

Payne was deemed incompetent to proceed on Aug. 17, and doctors at the time expressed some doubt that his condition would improve, noting “Payne’s situation is unique because of his delusions, advanced age and refusal to participate in testing.”

“Mr. Payne has shown signs of dementia, such as short-term memory impairment, issues with time orientation, and difficulties with executive functioning,” prosecutors wrote in their response.

Doctors also added “the minimal potential benefits of forcing medication do not outweigh the risks and the side effects of the medication.”

At a hearing Wednesday, Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill formally dismissed the case against Payne, who did not appear for the hearing.

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at the hearing that the family of Medina-Rojas and the menacing victim, an employee at the facility, all believed this was going to be the likely outcome of the case.

“They expressed their understanding for what was happening here,” Dougherty said, who added that the family of Medina-Rojas was focusing on the memories of their loved one rather than the criminal process.

The shooting occurred at Legacy Assisted Living on Feb. 3, 2021.

Medina-Rojas, a 44-year-old maintenance employee, was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center and initially placed on life support, but he was pronounced dead that afternoon, according to an affidavit.

Murder case against 96-year-old Lafayette man dismissed

The murder case against a 96-year-old man accused of killing an assisted living employee has been dismissed after doctors said it was unlikely he would ever be fit to stand trial.

www.denverpost.com