The Dickson Firm represents nursing home residents and their families in cases against the owners and the operators of nursing homes throughout the State of Ohio.
A 63-year-old has been arrested and charged with murder after police say he strangled a 53-year-old woman to death with a towel during an altercation inside an assisted living facility.
The fatal assault occurred on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Heritage Village of Waterville assisted living facility, a 90-bed facility located near Toledo, Ohio. Heritage Village of Waterville is an assisted living facility located at 555 Anthony Wayne Trail in Waterville, Ohio. It is part of the Certus Healthcare chain of facilities.
Police identified the suspect as Roscoe Gilmore, Jr., 63 years old, who allegedly attacked a fellow resident, Kimberly Moore, 53 years old.
Court records show that Moore was discovered with a towel wrapped around her neck and severe bruising to her face and neck. The staff found her unresponsive and deceased inside the facility. Waterville Mayor Tim Pedro told local media that Mr. Gilmore had a history of psychiatric issues. Gilmore was taken into custody and charged with murder and strangulation. This shocking incident has raised questions about safety and security inside facilities that treat patients with mental health issues.
As we have discussed many times on this blog, an assisted living facility is different from a nursing home. The expectations are different. The staffing is different. However, both facilities are still required to ensure the safety of their residents. They must screen their staff to make sure that they do not have a history that would make them not suitable to work with elderly people. And they also have to screen the people they admit.
Years ago, I handled a case where one of the experts who testified for the Defendants at the jury trial of the case, had previously been a medical director at a facility that was shut down because they admitted a number of residents who had a history of sexual assault, without disclosing that to the other residents. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are responsible for the safety of their residents. They cannot have anybody working at those facilities who poses a danger to the residents. They cannot have staff working who have a history of violent crime and pose a risk to the residents. They cannot admit other residents who pose a risk to the other residents.
At The Dickson Firm, we have handled many tragic cases where nursing home residents and assisted living facility residents have been assaulted, both by staff working at the nursing home and also by other residents. In many of the cases involving resident-on-resident assault, as we investigated the case and obtained the assailant's records, we found that the assailant a history of psychiatric issues.
The nursing homes and the assisted living facilities typically fight tooth and nail to not have to disclose the medical records of the assailant. They do this claiming that they do not want to violate HIPAA. However, there is a clear exception to HIPAA for any court order. If they are producing the records pursuant to a subpoena, they are not violating HIPAA. If they are pursuing the records pursuant to a court order, they are not violating HIPAA. Their concern is not really violating HIPAA. Their concern is covering up the fact that they are housing a violent resident and are not treating them appropriately.
Many people who have psychological issues can have those issues managed with appropriate therapy. Often, the person can be prescribed medication to address their psychiatric condition. If the nursing home cannot adequately address the person's psychiatric issues, particularly those issues that make them violent, then they have an obligation to discharge them from the facility. There are facilities that are suitable for violent residents with psychiatric issues. However, your typical assisted living facility, like the Heritage Village of Waterville, is not equipped to house a violent resident. They do not have the staff. They do not have the training. And they do not have the ability to house a violent resident. If a resident is truly violent, then they must have much more supervision than a typical resident receives in an assisted living facility.
All nursing homes and all assisted living facilities are obligated to have an adequate number of staff to keep their residents safe. They obviously cannot operate their nursing home in such a way where a violent resident is able to assault and, tragically in this case, murder another resident.
If someone you love has been neglected or abused in a nursing home, please call us at 1-800-OHIO LAW, as we would be happy to talk with you and help you in any way that we can.
To learn more about nursing home abuse and neglect in Ohio, please read:
How We Can Help – Toledo Nursing Home Attorney
Four Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
How Long Do I Have to Bring a Claim for Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect in Ohio?
3 Critical Questions to Ask Your Cleveland Nursing Home Injury Lawyer
‘Esther’s Law’ a step closer to allowing cameras into Ohio long-term care residents’ rooms
