State of Maine v. Mark P. Murphy

2015 ME 62, 124 A.3d 647, 2015 Me. LEXIS 68
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedMay 12, 2015
DocketDocket Ken-14-313
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 2015 ME 62 (State of Maine v. Mark P. Murphy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Maine v. Mark P. Murphy, 2015 ME 62, 124 A.3d 647, 2015 Me. LEXIS 68 (Me. 2015).

Opinion

JABAR, J.

[¶ 1] Mark P. Murphy appeals from a judgment of conviction of elevated aggravated assault (Class A), 17-A M.R.S. § 208-B(l)(A) (2014); elevated aggravated assault (Class A), 17-A M.R.S. § 208-B(1)(B) (2014); and aggravated assault (Class B), 17-A M.R.S. § 208(1)(A) (2014), entered by the trial court (Marden, J.) after a jury-waived trial. Although Murphy raises several issues on appeal, we focus on his arguments that (1) the court erred by failing to ensure that he knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to testify on his own behalf, (2) the evidence presented at trial compelled a conclusion that he was not criminally responsible for his conduct, and (3) the court erred by sentencing him on duplicative criminal charges for the same conduct in violation of constitutional protections against double jeopardy. We vacate the judgment and remand to the trial court for consolidation of the three counts through entry of a single conviction, and for entry of a sentence on the single charge.

I. BACKGROUND

[¶2] “The following facts are drawn from the court’s written judgment, as supported by the record, viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the State....” State v. Gurney, 2012 ME 14, ¶ 2, 36 A.3d 893.

[¶3] Mark Murphy was involuntarily committed to Riverview Psychiatric Center (Riverview) in 2006. He was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, and bipolar disorder with psychosis.

[¶ 4] On March 15, 2013, Murphy was informed that- his usual weekend trip to *649 visit his parents was cancelled due to Riv-erview’s staffs concerns about Murphy’s increasing paranoia and delusional thinking. Murphy responded to the revocation of his “pass” with anger and frustration, as he “felt that the postponement was arbitrary and punitive.”

[¶ 5] The next day, March 16, Murphy asked to review his medical records, to go on an unsupervised walk, and to Skype with his parents. A Riverview nurse instructed him on how to make a formal request for his medical records, which Murphy did, and told him that he would not be allowed to go on a walk or go to the computer lab unsupervised. These are privileges Murphy would normally have, but the nurse did not allow them because she had safety concerns. Murphy went to his room without incident.

[¶ 6] A short while later, the victim, a Riverview mental health worker, conducted a resident check on Murphy’s floor. Murphy had, in the past, said that he did not like the victim and did not want her on his floor. Murphy came out of his room, saw the victim, and then turned and entered the bathroom. As the victim went to cheek the bathroom, she felt someone breathing down her neck behind her. She turned and saw Murphy standing directly behind her. Murphy said, “I’m sorry,” and began stabbing the victim with the tip of a pen. Murphy continuously struck the victim as she lay in the fetal position, covering her face with her hands.

[¶ 7] Another Riverview worker ran over to help as Murphy knelt on the ground and continuously swung at the victim. Murphy inadvertently struck the other worker with his elbow as he swung at the victim, knocking the other worker to the floor. Murphy, who had threatened the other worker with physical violence in the past, then turned and started to come toward her before another Riverview patient was able to subdue him.

[¶ 8] Murphy was restrained and placed in a seclusion room. He appeared angry and was aggressive and hostile toward Riverview staff. Days after the assault, Murphy expressed his rage at Riverview staff for having revoked his privileges, and particularly blamed the staff for cancelling his visit with his parents. As late as four days after the assault, Murphy angrily denounced the unfairness of his being denied a pass, and referred to the pass system as “a game.” He did not, at that time, offer any explanation for the attack, and he told his psychiatrist that he did not recall the incident.

[¶ 9] The victim sustained injuries to her forehead, face, and hand, and had visible scarring at the time of trial. She underwent surgery and, at the time of trial, was engaged in therapy to regain strength in her hand.

[¶ 10] On April 17, 2018, Murphy was indicted on two counts of elevated aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault. Count I alleged that Murphy “intentionally or knowingly cause[d] serious bodily injury ... with the use of a dangerous weapon, a pen.” See 17-A M.R.S. § 208-B(l)(A). Count II alleged that he “engagefd] in conduct that manifested a depraved indifference to the value of human life and ... caused serious bodily injury ... with the use of a dangerous weapon, a pen.” See 17-A M.R.S. § 208-B(1)(B). Count III alleged that he “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause[d] serious bodily injury to [the victim].” See 17-A M.R.S. § 208(1)(A).

[¶ 11] In June, during meetings with a forensic psychologist, Dr. Andrew Wisch, and a forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Carlyle Voss, Murphy reported for the first time that he had attacked the victim because he *650 wanted to marry her but, because she was already married, knew he could not. He told the forensic examiners that, because the victim’s vows included “ ’til death do you part,” he decided that he could marry her if he killed her and .then brought her back to life. He explained that when he went into the bathroom just before the assault, he observed a clogged toilet and interpreted that as a sign that he had to go through with the assault. He said that he had apologized to the victim because he knew he was taking her away from her husband.

[¶ 12] Murphy pleaded not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, see 17-A M.R.S. § 39 (2014), and a bench trial was held on October 1, 2013.

[¶ 13] At trial, Wisch testified that he was skeptical of Murphy’s explanation for the assault because the circumstances did not corroborate Murphy’s reported motivation for attacking the victim. Wisch testified that there was no evidence that Murphy was misperceiving reality or was unaware of what he was doing at the time of the assault, pointing particularly to the fact that he said “I’m sorry” right before the attack. Wisch stated that this, as well as other interactions Murphy had had with Riverview staff throughout the day, was indicative of reality-based thinking on Murphy’s part. He testified that “the most prominent theme” both before and after the assault was Murphy’s anger toward the staff for revoking or delaying his privileges. Wisch opined that the circumstances suggested that Murphy had the capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions at the time of the assault.

[¶ 14] The State rested after Wisch’s testimony. The court, cognizant of timing, asked Murphy’s counsel how many witnesses he intended to call. Murphy’s counsel replied, “Just Dr. Voss, Your Hon- or.” Murphy’s counsel then called Voss to the stand.

[¶ 15] Voss opined that, at the time of the attack, Murphy was having psychotic delusions that impaired his ability to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions.

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Bluebook (online)
2015 ME 62, 124 A.3d 647, 2015 Me. LEXIS 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-maine-v-mark-p-murphy-me-2015.