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Man Convicted of Killing Cancer-Stricken Neighbor Over Simple Mistake: DA

 Vaughan Keith was convicted of manslaughter and assault for the death of a 69-year-old cancer patient, officials said.
Vaughan Keith was convicted of manslaughter and assault for the death of a 69-year-old cancer patient, officials said.
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Brooklyn District Attorney's Office

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A Bed-Stuy man was convicted of manslaughter and assault for the 2013 death of an elderly cancer patient, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Friday.

Vaughan Keith, 34, punched 69-year-old Willie Davis twice on Jan. 30, 2013 after the victim accidentally tried to get into Keith's home — mistakenly believing it was his own.

The victim was apparently confused, officials said, as he suffered from cancer and diabetes, which caused him to become disoriented at times.

Davis tried to use his home key to open the front door of Keith’s Halsey Street building, according to the DA’s office. Keith confronted the victim, yelling at him and punching him in the face.

The assault caused Davis to fall down the stoop and hit his head on the concrete. Officials said Keith fled the scene and court records show he was arrested on Feb. 13, 2013.

According to trial testimony, Davis suffered injuries including fractures to the skull, face, and nose, and received emergency brain surgery, the DA’s office said.

He died on July 1, 2013, with the cause of death ruled as blunt trauma to the head.

Following a jury trial, Keith was convicted Thursday of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault.

“This defendant viciously attacked and killed an elderly neighbor who simply needed help,” Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said in a statement. “He will now pay a steep price for his senseless acts of violence that took an innocent man's life.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 3, according to the DA’s office. Keith faces up to 15 years in prison.

Information for Keith’s lawyer was not immediately available.