Killer of 95-year-old man at a Port St. Lucie nursing home convicted of murder Friday
A jury seated Monday deliberated less than two hours before convicting Hawkins, 52, of first-degree murder with a weapon in connection with the Jan. 5, 2020 homicide of Robert W. Morell at Tiffany Hall Nursing & Rehab Center in Port St. Lucie, Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman said.
Port St. Lucie police responded to the scene around 12:20 a.m., after reports that a patient was 'being hurt' by someone at the facility in the 1800 block of Southeast Hillmoor Drive.
'Police learned a nurse walked past the male patient's room when she noticed an unknown male suspect sitting on top of the patient's chest, holding a pillow over his face,' an arrest affidavit stated.
Hawkins though, who has listed addresses in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, initially got away.
Workman said Hawkins, who did not testify at his trial, had confessed to Morell's murder during a recorded conversation with his sister at the St. Lucie County Jail.
'He compared this murder to someone who trains for years and years to climb Mount Everest and then finally achieves a goal of climbing the mountain,' Workman said. 'And he finally completed his goal, and he was happy and felt good about it.'
Police began suspecting Hawkins shortly after Morell's death after noting Hawkins, who was one of the visitors on Morell's visitor list, possibly matched the description of the assailant supplied by Tiffany Hall staff.
Hawkins was identified by investigators as having been romantically involved with Morell's girlfriend, who at one point called Tiffany Hall and told the agency she didn't want Hawkins visiting.
Tiffany Hall officials told police Morell had been at Tiffany Hall since September 2019 after a procedure to get a feeding tube installed. His girlfriend was paying for him to stay there after his Medicare coverage ended, and intended to bring him home.
Police reviewed visiting logs at Tiffany Hall and found Hawkins visited Morell at least five times since Morell arrived.
Hawkins was arrested the day after the homicide in connection with other crimes, including allegations he stole the girlfriend's Cadillac ATS.
The Cadillac was found the day of the homicide at 1400 E. Midway Road partially submerged, according to an affidavit and a sheriff's official.
Those charges, including burglary of an occupied dwelling, trespassing and grand theft of a vehicle, are still pending, records show.
The girlfriend told police she had known Morell for 14 or 15 years and was living at his condo in the 4100 block of North State Road A1A north of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. She also said she'd been dating Hawkins for about five months, and that she and Morell had an 'open relationship.'
On Jan. 6, 2020, St. Lucie County sheriff's deputies found Hawkins in a shed at a home in the 4800 block of Silver Oak Drive — about a half mile from where the Cadillac was recovered. Hawkins said he was cold and needed somewhere to sleep.
According to an affidavit, Hawkins' aunt owned the home there.
Port St. Lucie police analyzed a cell phone that belonged to Hawkins that was recovered from the Cadillac. They were able to track the phone's movements between the condo on Hutchinson Island and Tiffany Hall.
A day after his arrest, records show Hawkins' sister contacted police and said Hawkins had been calling their mother from jail, but they weren't taking the calls. The sister told police if her brother committed the murder, she could get him to tell her what happened.
Police gave Hawkins' sister a recording device, and she visited him in jail.
'Did you put the pillow over his face?' the sister asked.
'Yeah, I did,' Hawkins is quoted as saying in case documents.
He said he planned the homicide for years, using Morell's girlfriend to be close to Morell.
'He's the reason why my life's messed up. Okay?' Hawkins said. 'He's the reason I keep getting (expletive). So, I took care of it myself.'
Hawkins' sister, Workman said, did not testify at his trial.
'What stood out to me was that Mr. Morrell … survived for 95 years, and he survived all the dangers of life. And in the end, it was a murderer who stalked him to a bed in a room in a nursing home,' Workman said. 'The evidence showed that even then, Mr. Morell fought for his life, and he fought back against the man that came to his room in the middle of the night to murder him.'
Opinion: Fort Pierce faces limited options with city manager salary talks
Housing Choice Voucher program: Section 8 available first time in 5 years
Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: William Hawkins guilty of 2020 murder at PSL assisted living facility
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
CVS unit must pay $290 million in drug whistleblower lawsuit, judge rules
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal judge ordered CVS Health's pharmacy benefit manager unit to pay $289.9 million in damages and penalties after it overcharged Medicare for prescription drugs. In a Tuesday decision, Chief Judge Mitchell Goldberg in Philadelphia federal court tripled to $285 million the damages he had ordered CVS Caremark to pay in June, citing the federal False Claims Act. He added a $4.87 million civil fine. Goldberg rejected CVS' request to pay less, saying that while CVS Caremark was liable for only two years of overbilling, evidence at trial "made clear that the fraud was financially motivated, not the result of some innocent or mistaken belief." CVS, based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, said on Wednesday it plans to appeal. Last month, a Manhattan federal judge ordered CVS' Omnicare unit to pay $948.8 million in a separate whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraudulent billing. CVS plans to appeal that judgment. Goldberg presided in March over a non-jury trial in the whistleblower case brought by Sarah Behnke, a former head actuary for Medicare Part D at Aetna. She accused CVS Caremark of having caused health insurers such as Aetna to submit inflated claims since 2010 to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), while pharmacies such as Rite Aid and Walgreens were paid less. CVS argued that the original $95 million in damages was substantial, and punitive damages should be limited to $95 million. But the judge said CVS Caremark's fraud not only financially harmed the government, but diminished public confidence in it. "CMS relies on companies like Caremark to truthfully and accurately report Part D drug prices," he wrote. "Caremark's conduct broke CMS's trust, and as a result, the public's trust in CMS." Behnke sued in 2014. CVS bought Aetna four years later. The False Claims Act lets whistleblowers sue on behalf of the government and share in recoveries, typically 15% to 30%. The case is US ex rel Behnke v CVS Caremark Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 14-00824.
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Teen driver charged with intoxication manslaughter in fatal Garland crash, police say
An 18-year-old Cadillac SUV driver accused of speeding into a Garland intersection and crashing into a Nissan SUV — killing its sole occupant — has been arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter, police said. Alan Ernaldo Marmol Melendez was taken into custody after the crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. at the intersection of North Garland Avenue and Kingsley Road, according to the Garland Police Department. Police said Marmol Melendez's black Cadillac SUV was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed when it struck the eastbound Nissan SUV in the intersection. Marmol Melendez and a passenger in his vehicle sustained minor injuries. The passenger was hospitalized and later released, authorities said. Marmol Melendez is being held in the Garland Jail. No bond has been set. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Garland Police Department at (972) 485-4840 to report tips or provide information. CBS News Texas will provide additional details as they become available.
Boston Globe
06-08-2025
- Boston Globe
She fell on a Boston sidewalk, fractured her jaw, and got nothing from the city. Why?
And she needs dental implants at an out-of-pocket cost of about $20,000. (Medicare pays medical bills, but not dental costs.) The section of sidewalk where she fell has a history. It was paved long ago by the city of Boston with five-foot sections of concrete. Advertisement Next to where Pagliarulo fell, a tree was planted in a carved-out section of the sidewalk. The tree's roots grew under the sidewalk and gradually lifted a section of concrete a couple of inches higher than its surroundings. Pagliarulo and a former neighbor say they reported the tripping hazard to the city of Boston a couple of years ago. They told me the city responded by placing a couple of shovelfuls of asphalt along each protruding lip. Related : I asked the city of Boston what it did and when, and whether it received reports of a hazard. The city said it was working on my request but did not answer my questions in time for publication. The asphalt patch helped but didn't eliminate the hazard, according to neighbors, who showed me pictures of the uneven and bumpy sidewalk. Advertisement And the city seemed to confirm the hazard when, a couple of months after Pagliarulo's fall, it removed the tree and the section of sidewalk next to it, replacing both with a smooth expanse of asphalt. Pagliarulo wants the city of Boston to pay at least some of her dental costs because she believes it was negligent in maintaining that section of sidewalk. What, if anything, does the city owe her? The dispute : Property owners, including municipalities, have a legal duty to keep their property safe for those who use it. That's why almost all homeowners have liability insurance, in case, for example, someone catches their foot on an unrepaired defect on the front stairs. But several laws passed long ago by the state Legislature are highly protective of municipalities, making it almost impossible for ordinary folks like Pagliarulo to get adequate compensation for injuries. Related : I've previously written about frustrated victims who took nasty falls in the There are three ways the law minimizes the number of cases brought against municipalities. First, That's an extremely short notice period. By contrast, In the days after her fall, Pagliarulo concentrated on merely surviving; it often felt like an hour-to-hour struggle. She had to be fed through a syringe and lost almost 25 pounds. Advertisement For a while, three nieces took turns staying overnight with her. A devout Catholic, Pagliarulo spent much time in prayer. Liability was not foremost in her mind. 'I was just so concerned about staying alive,' she told me. Pagliarulo, a widow and retired nurse, said she also felt disoriented and frequently cried. Tears came several times when we met and talked about her fall. Neighbors on Denton Terrace, near Roslindale Square, rallied around her. 'She was in no shape to be researching liability or anything else,' neighbor Josh Jacks said in an interview. After she fell on a Boston sidewalk and fractured her jaw, Tammy Pagliarulo (seated) got support from neighbors (from left) Kim Fanning, Josh Jacks, and Elana Wolkoff. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff When she first contacted City Hall months later, Pagliarulo got one question from the legal department: When did she fall? When she gave the November date, the legal department representative said she had missed the notice deadline and no claim could be made. 'But I was incapacitated,' she recalled telling him. The legal department rep said he was sorry but there was nothing he could do, Pagliarulo said. Neighbor Elana Wolkoff then found But the city legal department told her the courts have narrowly defined 'incapacitated' in previous, precedent-setting cases. Pagliarulo looked for a lawyer, but none were interested. The reason is the second way the law protects municipalities: a $5,000 cap on compensation. Personal injury lawyers are paid one-third of any amount they win. But lawyers can't justify taking a case when the potential payout is limited to one-third of $5,000, or $1,666. That cap was enacted in 1965 and hasn't been updated. If the cap was adjusted for inflation, it would be about $50,000 today, making it more feasible to hire a lawyer. Related : Advertisement Finally, the law disallows such cases unless the victim can show the defective sidewalk was previously reported to the city or town and that the municipality took no action. The law does not define defects. The resolution : After Pagliarulo's fall, City Councilor Enrique Pepén, whose district includes Roslindale, helped arrange for the removal of the tree and section of the sidewalk. 'It was definitely something that needed repair,' he said. 'It was a big hazard, and they leveled it out.' When he found out about the 30-day notice requirement, Pepén said he was 'taken aback' by how short it is. 'It's not fair to citizens,' he said. Pepén said he wants to collaborate with state lawmakers in reviewing the state laws governing such cases. Bills to change the law get filed virtually every session of the Legislature, but none have passed. Related : The takeaway : The way the law favors cities and towns (and the state, too) is grounded in the centuries-old concept of sovereign immunity, which originated in England and is based on the antiquated notion that 'the King could do no wrong.' Keeping those laws undisturbed saves money for cities and towns. And municipalities do not lack influence on Beacon Hill. But imagine that you or a loved one were affected. You have thousands in medical or dental bills or you've lost income because you can't work, all because of a defective sidewalk and through no fault of your own. Advertisement Wouldn't you want fair compensation? Got a problem? Send your consumer issue to
