A Palm Beach County judge denied bond Friday for Stephen Scantlebury, the man accused of brutally beating nurse Leela Lal at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, keeping him locked up after already spending 605 days behind bars awaiting trial. Lal was left with extensive facial fractures in the Feb. 18, 2025, attack and spent six months in the hospital recovering before she was able to go home.
The bond hearing had been scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, according to WPBF 25 News, which reported that Scantlebury was a patient at the hospital when the attack occurred. Investigators said Scantlebury broke almost every bone in Lal's face during the assault, per the station's reporting. Lal was flown in critical condition to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where doctors reconstructed her face with titanium plates, according to a report from the Palm Beach Post network.
After the attack, Scantlebury fled the hospital and was arrested while walking down a nearby road, the station's report notes. A year after the attack, Lal was still suffering from double vision, the same outlet reported.
Judge Cites Mental Health Diagnosis in Denying Release
Scantlebury's defense had asked that he be released on a $50,000 bond with GPS monitoring and house arrest, according to CBS12. A doctor testified that Scantlebury needs intensive mental-health treatment, including nine hours of group therapy each week, individual counseling and psychiatric care, per WPBF 25 News.
The judge pointed to medical reports describing Scantlebury as suffering from a delusional disorder, with the reports indicating he continues to believe events related to the attack were part of an elaborate ruse. He has not been convicted of the charges and remains in custody while the criminal case continues, per the same account.
Court and news reports have varied on the exact charge Scantlebury faces. CBS12 reported that he was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder, while a separate CBS12 report described him as facing second-degree murder with a hate-crime modifier and being held without bond following his arrest.
Lawsuit Alleges Pattern of Violence at Palms West
Lal and her family have pursued a civil lawsuit against the hospital alleging inadequate security. The lawsuit outlines three incidents before the Lal attack in which patients and family members had assaulted nurses and hospital staff, according to the Palm Beach Post network's reporting, and alleges that Palms West ignored those previous violent incidents and failed to put security measures in place that could have prevented the attack.
Hospital officials have pushed back, saying two separate health care regulatory agencies reviewed their processes and found no deficiencies in Palms West's protocols. Following the attack, the hospital's CEO said in a statement reported by CBS12 that “this incident makes it clear: more must be done,” even as the hospital defended its existing procedures.
The lawsuit's claims echo other violent episodes at the facility. In July 2023, a mother at the hospital's NICU allegedly removed a baby from a ventilator and stabbed three nurses before escaping, according to the Palm Beach Post network. In April 2024, a patient reportedly assaulted a nurse, a pharmacist and a security guard during what appeared to be a manic episode, the same report states.
For now, Scantlebury remains in custody as the criminal case moves forward, with the charge still described inconsistently across reports and the civil lawsuit against the hospital still pending.
