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Third Person Charged In Attack On NECC Meningitis Survivor

MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) -- A third person has been charged in the home invasion and brutal beating of a victim in the New England Compounding Center meningitis breakout.

Shawn McGrath, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire, was recently arrested and charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault and falsifying physical evidence.

In an exclusive interview with WBZ-TV last month, Manchester resident Kel Papaleo said that she was attacked by assailants who may have been looking for settlement money.

Kelly Papaleo
Kelly Papaleo. (WBZ-TV)

But Papaleo and other meningitis victims haven't yet seen a dime from the $200 million settlement with NECC.

Sixty-four people died and another 751 were injured after being injected by tainted steroids made by NECC in Framingham in 2012.

Papaleo was just getting back on her feet in April after losing her job to a near-fatal bout of meningitis. She told WBZ-TV that her nightmare began when she woke up to a punch in the face, and found four people punching and kicking her.

Kel Papaleo
Kel Papaleo after the attack. (Photo credit: Kel Papaleo)

"They beat me until they couldn't beat me anymore," she said. "They kicked my face so hard that my teeth fell out."

Two other Manchester residents have already been charged in the attack.

Jillian Anderson, 26, is charged with criminal liability for conduct of another and falsifying physical evidence. Rodney Rosado, 49, is charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault and falsifying physical evidence.

McGrath was scheduled to appear in a Manchester court Thursday morning.

Police said they aren't releasing additional details because the case is still active.

UPDATE 11/22/19: The case against Rodney Rosado was dropped in December of 2015.

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