83yo man gets probation for beating 94yo roommate to death at rehab

An 83-year-old man who murdered his 94-year-old roommate while both were recovering from surgery at a Laguna Woods rehabilitation center was sentenced Friday to lifetime probation with a suspended sentence of 16 years.
William Leo McDougall pleaded guilty this year to murder for repeatedly bludgeoning Manh Van Nguyen in the head with a wooden rod in 2010 while the victim was sleeping at the Palm Terrace Healthcare Center in Laguna Woods.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/octogenarian-who-bludgeoned-elderly-roommate-sentenced-to-lifetime-probation.html

Does the family have any chance at a civil suit?