More than three years after he was charged with felony aggravated battery, a Rock Falls man accused of beating a neighbor so badly that he died almost three weeks later will stand trial Dec. 2.

Scott E. Hagerman, 63, is accused of hitting Ronald E. Fistler Jr., 61, with his fists on Aug. 6, 2022, causing a brain injury. Fistler died Aug. 25, 2022, at Amberwood Care Center in Rockford.

Hagerman is charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a person 60 or older, punishable by three to seven years in prison, as well as aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place, each of which carry two to five years in prison.

He also is charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, by refusing to cooperate with a Rock Falls police officer during his arrest processing, according to the charging document.

At the time, the two men were living in the Whiteside County Housing Authority’s Garden Homes complex in the 400 block of Garden Circle, which has units for elderly or disabled low-income tenants.

According to a news release issued at that time, police received a 911 call about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 6, 2022, reporting an assault. When they arrived, they found Fistler on the ground, injured.

He was taken to CGH Medical Center in Sterling and later, “due to the severity of his injuries,” to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, according to the release. He then was transferred to Amberwood. According to his obituary, Fistler was a U.S. Navy veteran and a member of the Rock Falls American Legion.

Hagerman was to stand trial March 19, 2024, but it was postponed just minutes before jury selection was to start when Hagerman dropped his appointed attorney, Whiteside County Public Defender James Fagerman, and asked then-Judge Trish Senneff for a continuance so he could hire representation.

Senneff granted the continuance and set an April 15, 2024, date for an attorney status hearing. Hagerman did not show up for court on the April 15 date, and an arrest warrant was issued the next day.

The arrest warrant was reissued in early August 2025 so as to expand geographical boundaries. He was arrested Aug. 28 and has been held in the Whiteside County Jail since that time.

His next court appearance is a motion hearing set for 1 p.m. Nov. 26. He is once again being represented by public defender John Fagerman.