Charges have been officially upgraded to second-degree murder for two men accused in the fatal beating and choking of a Harriman man last month.

Charles Sargent and Allen Copley were originally facing charges of aggravated assault following a May 8th physical altercation with Cecil Baptiste. According to authorities, the incident stemmed from a disagreement during which Sargent and Copley allegedly choked and struck Baptiste.

Baptiste was rushed to a nearby hospital following the altercation, where he fighting for his life for ten days before succumbing to his injuries on May 18th.

A recent autopsy report solidified the upgraded charges, ruling that Baptiste’s primary cause of death was anoxic encephalopathy—a severe lack of oxygen to the brain—resulting from complications of a carotid neck restraint used during the fight.

Following the upgraded murder charges, a judge set bond for both Sargent and Copley at $150,000 each. Both suspects currently remain in custody.