A Bridgeport man went before a judge Thursday accused of fatally punching his grandfather because the man wouldn’t buy him marijuana.
Kareem Williams, 24, is charged with manslaughter in the death of Jeffrey Lindo, 68.
Williams’ mother, who is also Lindo’s daughter, was at the arraignment at Bridgeport Superior Court and told News 12 her son has been treated for schizophrenia since being diagnosed at age 17. She attributed what happened to his mental health struggles.
Bridgeport police said an argument on Feb. 17 between Williams and Lindo at their apartment on Charles Street turned violent and caused Lindo's death three days later.
According to Williams' arrest warrant, his mother said the fight between her son and her father happened when she wasn't home. She told police Williams punched Lindo in the jaw because Lindo said he wouldn't buy marijuana for him.
The warrant stated Lindo went to the hospital the next day in Harlem, New York, because his jaw was swollen. When he returned home later, his daughter "noticed he began vomiting and sleeping for extended periods," according to the warrant. "Lindo continuously went to the bathroom, was disoriented, and needed assistance,” she told police, describing her father as usually "very active" and self-sufficient.
But on Feb. 20, she called 911 after finding her father unresponsive on the couch. Medics pronounced him dead on scene.
Police said an autopsy concluded Lindo's death was a homicide caused by complications from blunt impact injury to the head with bleeding in the brain.
During the investigation, police learned Lindo told the hospital he’d been mugged to protect his grandson, the warrant said.
It also noted that police responded to the home on Feb. 19, the day before Lindo died, on a report Williams was "not on his medication and had been displaying unusual behavior." Williams allegedly "unexpectedly charged one of the officers." According to the warrant, Williams said to the officers, "I didn't wanna hurt ya.....you know what I do.....I break people's jaws." Williams was handcuffed and taken to the hospital, where he was admitted for evaluation and treatment.
The warrant stated that wasn’t the first time police were called to the home. Their investigation discovered police were dispatched to Lindo’s home in June 2018 for an alleged domestic incident. Upon arrival, officers saw Williams with a rock, and Lindo had a lump on his forehead, the warrant said. Police said Lindo told them Williams had hit him in the head.
But it appears that case never went forward. In court, Williams’ public defender said he has no prior criminal history and argued for a lower bond. The prosecutor countered that bond should remain at $350,000 due to the serious allegations. The judge agreed and ruled that if Williams can post bond, he will have to wear a GPS ankle monitor and be under house arrest except for mental health evaluation and treatment.