WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The man accused of brutally attacking a nurse at a Palm Beach County hospital last week will remain in jail as he awaits trial.
A judge made the decision during a Thursday afternoon pre-trial detention hearing for the suspect, Stephen Scantlebury.
WATCH BELOW: Nurse attack suspect will remain jailed following judge's decision
Attorneys for Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington, sought to have their client moved elsewhere so he could receive mental health support.
Scantlebury was a patient at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital last Tuesday when deputies said he beat a nurse so badly that "essentially every bone" was broken in her face.
The nurse, Leelamma Lal, 67, remains hospitalized. A representative of her family said Wednesday that Lal's condition is improving, but she was placed back on a ventilator.
In a packed courtroom Thursday, WPTV heard new information surrounding the attack.
Witnesses from the hospital, as well as responding deputies, took the stand and revealed that video from inside the hospital showed the victim was attacked in a roughly one to two-minute time frame.
WATCH BELOW: Health care workers attend hearing to show support for injured nurse
Following the attack, Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified that she observed Scantlebury saying, "Indians are bad" and "I just beat the (expletive) out of an Indian doctor."
Family members also took the stand, including Scantlebury's wife, who also sought to have her husband transferred to a mental health facility rather than a jail cell, claiming he was acting paranoid before the attack.
"He thought there were people trying to harm him," the suspect's wife, Megan Scantlebury, said in court Thursday. "He thought that our house was bugged, that there was people listening. He thought I was involved. He thought the neighbors were involved."
A spokesperson told WPTV that Scantlebury had driven himself to the hospital to seek treatment for an issue not related to his mental health and was admitted. The arrest report released last week also said he had been "acting paranoid for the last two days" before the attack.
The victim's daughter, Cindy Joseph, spoke at Thursday's hearing on behalf of her mother, outlining the severe injuries that her mother endured.
"She had subdural and sporadic bleeding of the brain, the right-side of her face was fully fractured. ... She had a right-sided collar bone fracture," Joseph said. "She was intubated and unconscious, a lot of bruising in her face and swelling in her eyes. I didn't really recognize her."
Joseph said it pained her to hear what investigators said Scantlebury about her mother and their culture.
"I'm Indian like a lot of our family is, that was really, really hurtful," Joseph said. "Racism has no place. It shouldn't be a reason why you beat someone up."
Scantlebury still needs to be evaluated by a mental health professional while he is in jail. Despite attempts by WPTV to speak with the suspect's family on Thursday, they were unavailable.
He is being held without bond and faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.
