VA Murder Suspect History

The man accused of murdering a patient at Columbia’s VA Hospital may have went on a violent rampage just days before the killing. Rudy Perez, Jr. faces murder charges for allegedly beating a patient to death last Friday. The 33-year-old Sedalia man reportedly went after Robert Hill, 78, of Warsaw, Mo. at the hospital twice that day. ABC 17 News found out Monday that Perez showed similar behavior days before the crime, first attacking his neighbor last week. Between Tuesday last week and the killing on Friday, he also attacked his parents, punched an officer, and tried to avoid getting arrested.While crimes like murder never make sense, Perez’s neighbors told ABC 17 News the nice man they thought they knew, turned into someone else last week.”Very surprised… He just didn’t seem like that type, he just seemed like he was easy going,” said Forrest Bottom, who lives next door to Perez.He was a model neighbor and according to court records, Perez was also a model citizen.”Last week was the first I knew of him. As far as I know, he has no other prior criminal record,” said Pettis County Prosecutor Jeff Mittelhauser. A week later that record is now full of violent crimes. Perez faces multiple assault charges, resisting arrest, and murder.Prosecutors said the series of violence began exactly one week ago on Tuesday, when Perez walked up to his neighbor’s house knocked on the front door and started punching the man in the face. After that Perez was taken into custody overnight and while in jail he got out of control again.”When he was in the jail he got into some sort of a scuffle with one of the jail officers and tried to punch him,” said Mittelhauser.According to court documents, Perez was using both fists and deputies had to taze him to stop him. However, Perez acted more unusual and apologized.”He was apologizing profusely… He understood what he had done and as apologetic about it,” said Mittelhauser.The next day Perez was let go because prosecutors needed to look into the investigation more. However on Thursday, Perez allegedly punched his dad while in the car then stripped naked on the side of Highway 50 and threw his mother into moving traffic.When law enforcement tried to arrest him, he resisted arrest and spit on one of the deputies in the ambulance. He was then taken to Columbia for a 96-hour mental evaluation.After Perez was taken to Columbia, he was transferred to the Veterans Hospital. He was initially in a common room before he attacked Hill for the first time. Perez was then taken to the psych ward before he was moved back to the common room where he later beat Hill to death.Prosecutors in Pettis County charged Perez for multiple assaults and resisting arrest. In Boone County, he is in custody on a $1 million bond.As of Tuesday evening, Boone County prosecutors are not sure if they will be seeking the death penalty against Perez.