Suspect in beating death of Lincoln Hospital patient held without bail.
A woman accused of fatally assaulting a fellow patient at Lincoln Hospital last month was arraigned on Tuesday in Bronx Criminal Court. Raquel Haughton, 44, is facing charges of manslaughter and assault after allegedly attacking Cynthia Vann, 55, on September 10. Haughton has been ordered held without bail at Rikers Island.
The incident occurred in an eighth-floor treatment room where both women were patients. Eyewitness reports indicate that Haughton repeatedly struck Vann in the head, leading to life-threatening injuries. Vann underwent emergency surgery on September 11, but her condition deteriorated, and she subsequently passed away on September 27. Following her death, the New York Police Department reclassified the case as a homicide.
Haughton was arrested at her Bronx apartment earlier this week, and during her court appearance, she was dressed in a pink-black-and-gray striped sweater and light-blue jeans. She remained silent throughout the hearing. A prosecutor from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office emphasized the need for Haughton to be remanded to custody, citing her prior criminal history, which includes two open felony assault cases involving hospital staff and a misdemeanor charge related to an assault on another inmate.
Defense attorney Cristine Oh, representing Haughton, chose not to comment on the case but indicated that she would reserve a request for bail.
In a related development, the court addressed a request from media representatives to photograph the arraignment. Oh objected, arguing that such action would infringe upon Haughton’s privacy and would lack sufficient public interest, as the incident was described as a dispute between two hospital patients. Judge Juan Abreu, presiding over the arraignment, deemed the request premature due to the absence of a grand jury indictment against Haughton.
Haughton is scheduled to return to court on October 24 as the legal proceedings continue. Meanwhile, the New York City Department of Investigation is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Vann’s death, amid growing concerns from her family regarding the delays in charging Haughton. They have raised questions about why Lincoln Hospital did not promptly notify the police and involve them in the investigation.
This case has garnered significant public interest, drawing attention to patient safety protocols within hospitals and the handling of assaults within medical facilities. The outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings remains to be seen, as the community watches closely for developments in this tragic incident.
