FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – David Auerbach recently went outside to smoke a cigarette when he claims a neighbor attacked him.
"If he would've hit me a few more times, he could've killed me," Auerbach, 28, said.
The attack happened about a week ago.
"He walks towards my door. The gentleman got within about five feet and then just completely rushed at me and attacked me," Auerbach said. "He hit me right here in the face. My head hit the door."
Auerbach said his attacker, Michael Murdough, was deranged and belligerent. He said that, at one point, Murdough walked away, then came back and attacked him again.
"Officers then asked, you know, 'Why did you do it?' He's saying because the voices in his head told him to do it," Auerbach said.
The incident happened in front of Auerbach’s wife and two young children.
Now, he’s pleading with management to get him out of his lease.
"I got a phone call the next day stating that I need to pay four months (rent) to break the lease," Auerbach said.
His attorney, Gus Frances, sees things differently. He believes his client's life was in jeopardy from the day he moved in to the apartments on Southeast 22nd Street.
Frances showed Local 10 News court records that reveal Murdough's troubled past, which includes felonies, including one for attempted murder.
"I think the landlord would have a duty to tell a person coming in, 'Hey, look, your neighbor here has a significant criminal history, potential mental health issues. Are you guys sure that this is where you want to live?'"
Local 10 News contacted Cooper Properties, the company that manages the complex. Employees said that management was out for the day and to call back in the morning.
As for Murdough, he remains in jail.