Elderly Massachusetts Man With Just Months to Live Accused of Stabbing Nurse in Emergency Room

A 76-year-old man in Massachusetts who stabbed an emergency room nurse in the neck now faces an attempted murder charge, authorities said.

Around 8 p.m. on June 12, David Nichols was at Heywood Hospital in Gardner when he took a pocket knife to the victim when she was trying to adjust something, WBZ News reported.

The nurse was being treated for a three-inch-long cut on her neck at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

At his arraignment, a defense attorney told the court Nichols was not a flight risk, suffers medical issues and has only around a half year to live.

In addition to the attempted murder count, Nichols also faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

He was being held on $100,000 cash bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on July 14.

“The Heywood staff are second to none,” Heywood Healthcare CEO Rozanna Penney said in a statement issued in conjunction with Gardner police. “Last night they demonstrated teamwork, compassion, cohesiveness and dedication to each other and to our community. Our primary responsibility as leaders is to take care of our staff, and we do not take this responsibility lightly.”