WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The man accused of brutally attacking a nurse last week at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital was in court Tuesday for the first time since his arrest.
Stephen Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington appeared before a Palm Beach County judge to face a charge of attempted second-degree murder.
Family members of both the injured nurse and Scantlebury were in court for the hearing.
Leelamma Lal, the 67-year-old nurse who was attacked, remains hospitalized with severe injuries described as "essentially every bone in (her) face" broken.
The courtroom was silent as Judge Donald Hafele addressed Lal's daughter, Cindy Joseph.
Joseph stood up during the hearing to speak to the court and directly to Scantlebury.
"She had no chance to defend herself as she was viciously attacked by this man twice her size as he hurled ethnic slurs at her," Joseph said through tears during the hearing.
WATCH BELOW: Nurse's son, daughter seek answers after mother attacked
During the four-minute hearing, Scantlebury kept his head down as the judge decided the suspect will remain jailed without bond.
The decision was a relief for the victim's family.
"This gentleman will not be out on the street," Karen Terry, an attorney for the victim's family, said.
However, Scantlebury's defense team believes their client should be placed on house arrest or in a mental health facility.
"(Scantlebury should be placed) somewhere that's actually equipped to handle his mental health issue that he's obviously going through right now," defense attorney Scott Simmons said. "The jail is not the best place for that."
Following the hearing, Joseph told WPTV reporter Kayla McDermott that it was difficult looking at the man accused of putting her mother on a ventilator and possibly taking away her eyesight.
"I just couldn't get the image of him on top of my mom beating her repeatedly," Joseph said. "It was really hard to see that in my head."
Despite this difficult moment, she said it was necessary.
"It was empowering for me to be able to say those words. I wanted him to hear me," Joseph said. "I'm just so angry at everything."
Scantlebury's defense team said just like Lal's loved ones, the suspect's family also feels broken.
"They believe this was an absolutely tragic situation that could have and should have been 100% preventable," defense attorney Adam Rossen said.
His defense team said that Scantlebury checked himself into HCA Florida Palms West Hospital. In the arrest report, it said the hospital was treating him as a Baker Act patient — even though the hospital is not a Baker Act facility.
"Why, if he was Baker Acted, was he not transported (to a different hospital)?" Simmons asked.
Those questions about the hospital are something that Lal's attorney is also asking.
"Do you guys have any plans to sue the hospital?" McDermott asked Terry.
"We're looking at all avenues of recovery, including avenues against Palms West Hospital," Terry replied. "He wasn't restrained. They didn't have a proper sitter, and they had Leela treating him in a corner room far away from the nurse's station with no cameras in the room, and that is simply inadequate on every level."
HCA Florida Palms West Hospital released the following statement regarding the case:
"Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) we cannot release any details about as it pertains to Mr. Scantelbury's care."
Also during Tuesday's hearing, the judge granted a motion for a pretrial detention hearing within the next five days to further discuss where Scantlebury should be held.
Scantlebury will have to turn over all of his travel documents including his passport by 3 p.m. Friday.
The injured nurse's daughter and son shared their mother's story with WPTV on Monday, describing the situation as "unreal" and said they are "really sad and really angry that this happened to her at work."
Attorneys for the Rossen Law Firm, who are representing Scantlebury, released a statement Friday that said their client had been "displaying unusual behavior" in the days leading up to the attack and had sought help at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital.
Scantlebury has court hearings scheduled for March 20 and April 10 in his case.
