Ten days before allegedly murdering a Manhattan therapist, David Tarloff stood in court in Queens, accused of assaulting a staff member at a hospital. The prosecutor didn’t ask for bail and the judge didn’t deem a restraining order necessary. Mr. Tarloff was released after a short pep talk.

It was the first time Mr. Tarloff is known to have been charged with a crime. But he would soon find himself in court again, this time facing a murder charge for the killing of a therapist, Kathryn Faughey, and an attempted murder charge for the slashing of a psychiatrist, Kent Shinbach.

The incident behind Mr. Tarloff’s first arrest was a visit he made on February 1 to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where his mother was being treated. His appearance there was against visitation rules. When a security guard intervened, Mr. Tarloff grew violent, according to court records. During the ensuing scuffle, the security officer, Joel Leroy, suffered a bruised head and strained back, according to court documents.

After his arrest, Mr. Tarloff, 40, was seen by a psychiatrist at St. John’s. The doctor, Reddy Bezwada, said Mr. Tarloff “did not require further psychiatric treatment at this time,” according to medical report.

In a court proceeding the next day, February 2, Judge Barry Kron took a sympathetic tone with Mr. Tarloff, according to a transcript. Judge Kron summed up the alleged crime by saying Mr. Tarloff had tried to visit his mother and got into a “hassle of some sort.”

“Anybody who has ever been in a hospital dealing with the personnel there can appreciate the frustration one deals with,” the judge said.

The assistant district attorney on the case, Carly Kaufman, did not ask for bail.

Mr. Tarloff said little, speaking only when addressed by the court. He apologized once and thanked the court twice.

“Stay out of trouble, okay, sir?” Judge Kron told Mr. Tarloff at the end of the proceeding.

“Thank you very much,” Mr. Tarloff answered. “God bless you.”