It's a gruesome and tragic case that has just taken another shocking turn. Prosecutors say a homeless veteran assaulted near a train station outside Philadelphia has died and the charges against the suspected attacker are now being upgraded.

Bucks County prosecutors say Dale Wakefield had been out celebrating his 21st birthday before he stabbed 71-year-old George Mohr at least 70 times with a pocket knife outside the Doylestown train station on July 3.

According to PhillyBurbs.com, Mohr died due to head trauma, which led to fluid on the brain, among other injuries sustained during the attack. The outlet continues:

A motorist spotted Mohr lying in the roadway on South Clinton Avenue in front of a bus kiosk near the Doylestown Train Station about 2:45 a.m. July 3. At first, authorities thought he might have been hit by a car or a train, but discovered he’d been stabbed numerous times. He was flown to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia and later transferred to a hospice facility where he died July 6.

The district attorney's office says Mohr died from his injuries three days after the incident took place. As a result of the shocking change in events, prosecutor Michelle Henry says that the charges against Wakefield are being upgraded from attempted murder to murder.

In the wake of the attack, investigators say Wakefield called his sister and said he had stabbed someone and had fled to Baltimore, where he was arrested. It's unclear why the confrontation took place in the first place -- but it was the sister's call to authorities that led to Wakefield's arrest.

Dale Wakefield (Photo Credit: Bucks County District Attorney's Office)

This isn't the first time that the young man has had a run-in with the law.

Wakefield allegedly has a history of violence. In the past, he apparently pleaded guilty to making terrorist threats and for simple assault after he purportedly held a knife to his mother's throat and shot her with a BB gun. He has also had a DUI charge which did lead to several days behind bars, PhillyBurbs.com reports.

Authorities expect him to be returned to Bucks County for arraignment Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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