A 41-year-old nursing home worker was indicted on criminally negligent homicide, felony assault and other charges in the December death of a 77-year-old patient who was impaled by a broken table while the two were arguing at the Bronx facility where she worked.

Cherrylee Young, who worked with University Nursing Home, pleaded not guilty to the charges at her arraignment Tuesday.

Investigators have said Young got into an argument with Frank Mercado, a patient with dementia under her care, at the Grand Avenue home Dec. 8 and she allegedly repeatedly punched the man, causing him to fall to the floor. Mercado fell on a table that had been broken during the altercation and was impaled by a protruding piece of metal. He suffered internal bleeding and later died.

Young's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment, but neither she nor her attorney spoke to NBC 4 New York after a court appearance last month. She faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

In a statement released shortly after Mercado died, University Nursing Home acknowledged his death with "profound regret" and extended its condolences to his family.

"The University Nursing Home, which has a five-star rating from Medicare.gov and an exemplary health care history, is assisting the NYPD and the Medical Examiner in their investigation of this matter," the statement issued following Young's arrest said.

The nursing home said Mercado had lived at its 46-bed facility in University Heights for four years.