Officials: 73-year-old man beaten in Gresham last year died 6 months later

The death of a man who was beaten last year in the South Side Gresham neighborhood and died more than six months later has been ruled a homicide.

John Liberty, 73, suffered blunt force head injuries in an assault on April 1, 2017, in the 1600 block of West 79th Street, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He died from complications of his injuries on Oct. 11 at 11:44 a.m.

The medical examiner’s office said Wednesday that his death had been ruled a homicide.

Chicago Police said a man between 25 and 35 years old hit him in the face and pushed him to the ground at that location, causing a laceration to the head.

Area Central detectives are investigating.