Former Fayette care facility resident charged with first-degree murder

Prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder charge against a former resident at a Fayette care facility after the man he is accused of attacking died this week.

Matthew T. Braun, 35, is accused of assaulting 57-year-old Kris A. Simpson, formerly of West Burlington, on Sept. 17 at the Prairie View Residential Care Facility, 18569 Lane Rd. Braun originally was charged with attempted murder, but the Fayette County attorney's office upgraded the charge Tuesday after authorities learned that Simpson had died.

Authorities responded around 12:50 a.m. on Sept. 17 to a disturbance at the care facility and determined Simpson had been assaulted. According to a criminal complaint, security camera footage showed Braun attacking Simpson "for no apparent reason," which caused Simpson to fall and hit his head on the corner of a furnace, knocking him unconscious.

"The defendant proceeded to hunch over the victim and strike him with a closed fist several times," the complaint reads.

Simpson was airlifted to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisc., where he remained unconscious. He died Monday, according to a published obituary.

Braun remains in custody at the Fayette County Jail. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 3. If convicted of the charge, he faces life in prison.