A Portland man is facing a murder charge following the death of a 63-year-old man he is accused of assaulting in August.
Rodney Cleveland died at Maine Medical Center on Sunday from injuries he sustained Aug. 3, Portland police said. Cleveland never left the hospital after he was assaulted. An autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Cleveland died from blunt-force trauma, police said.
Everett Meserve
Following the assault, investigators charged Everett Meserve, 62, with elevated aggravated assault. Meserve has been held in the Cumberland County Jail since his arrest on $50,000 bail.
Cleveland and Meserve lived on the same floor of a building at the corner of Danforth and High streets in Portland, which houses people over the age of 55 in one-bedroom and efficiency apartments.
Police charged Meserve with murder on Tuesday, and he will continue to be held pending his first appearance on the new charge.
Meserve had not entered a plea to the previous Class A felony, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison. Murder carries a penalty of 25 years to life in prison.
Police have not released details about the circumstances of the attack or what they believe led Meserve to assault his neighbor. An arrest affidavit filed in support of the original assault charges was sealed.
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