Dad pleads not guilty to murder of wife, two children, mother-in-law (Woburn, Massachusetts)

Dad THOMAS MORTIMER IV has been charged with 4 counts of 1st-degree murder. Looks like his lawyer may try the insanity plea. Really, what other card do you have to play in this case?

In reality, this case is classic. Daddy Dearest was having "problems" with his wife (Translation: Daddy was, at minimum, a controlling abusive @$$hole, and his wife couldn't stand it anymore). Then he decided to prove he was an @$$hole by bludgeoning 4 people to death in the most vicious way. Of course, his mommy and daddy still think he's special. Seems to me these narcissistic abusers/killers always have parents who think they're special.

Notice that 22 people have died in Massachusetts this year because of domestic violence, including suicide.

Hat tip credit to Annie.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/06/_the_43-year-ol.html

With parents looking on, Winchester murder suspect pleads not guilty
June 18, 2010 01:31 PM

By Stephanie Ebbert and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

WOBURN – A Winchester man charged with murdering his wife, two children, and mother-in-law pleaded not guilty today, while his attorney indicated she may use an insanity defense on behalf of the man who allegedly left written confessions, along with the bloodied bodies of his victims, in their home.

Thomas Mortimer IV wore a gray jacket but no tie when he was arraigned before Woburn District Court Judge James Barretto on four counts of first-degree murder -- one for each of his victims. Barretto ordered him held without bail.

In court, Mortimer's defense attorney, Denise Regan, asked Barretto to allow Mortimer to be examined by a mental health expert and to allow her to attend the session sometime this weekend.

"The defendant has the right to counsel, has been arraigned,'' said Regan, a staff attorney for the Committee on Public Counsel Services. "And it's likely that mental health will be a live issue in this case.''

But Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Lynch, who is prosecuting, objected.

This afternoon, after some wrangling between the attorneys, Barretto ordered Mortimer to undergo a mental health evaluation today, and allowed Regan to be on hand when that takes place.

However, he refused to order the Middlesex sheriff's department – which now has custody of Mortimer – to notify Regan before any other mental health services are provided to her client, as she had requested.

Lynch had strongly objected to the defense plan, saying in court that Regan was trying to gain a strategic advantage in the case by gaining insight into Mortimer's mental status that might not be made available to prosecutors in the months ahead.

"It is attempting to put a thumb on the scales of justice and press it right down to the other side,'' Lynch said in court before Barretto issued his limited order.

Regan declined to say whether she was seeking the evaluation because she is concerned that her client is a suicide risk, or whether she wanted to collect information about Mortimer's demeanor and behavior close to the date of the murders for use when the case goes to trial some months from now.

Also in court today were Mortimer's parents, Thomas Mortimer III and his wife, Sandra, both of whom live in Avon, Conn., but were in the Winchester home earlier this week babysitting their grandchildren, according to Middlesex prosecutors.

"He is a good kid,'' the elder Mortimer told reporters after the brief court hearing. Asked by a reporter if he was shocked by the allegations against his son and the four deaths, he replied, "who wouldn't be.''

Earlier today, Sandra Mortimer said her son was "the nicest person.''

"He's always been the nicest son and the nicest person,'' Sandra Mortimer said in a composed voice. "And that's all I'm going to say.''

Mortimer, 43, arrived at the Woburn courthouse surrounded by a welter of Winchester police officers. He appeared to be wearing a bulletproof vest. In court, eight court officers stood in the public area, keeping a close eye on the crowd.

Mortimer was arrested Thursday in the western Massachusetts town of Bernardston. His family's bloodied bodies were found Wednesday in the Windsong Lane house by firefighters and emergency medical technicians, said Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. following Mortimer's arrest.

Two identical, typed letters that Mortimer left in the house described problems he was having with his wife, Laura Stone Mortimer, 41, the DA said.

“There can be no rationale or reasoning for someone taking the life of a child,’’ Leone said. “But the writings do reveal whatever warped and twisted rationale he had.’’

He paraphrased some of the letter. “I did these horrible things,’’ Mortimer allegedly wrote. “What I’ve done is extremely selfish and cowardly. I murdered my family.’’

In a voice that was strained at times, Leone described the moments that led to the gruesome discovery.

On Monday, Mortimer’s parents were spending a second day at the Colonial house on a quiet street, baby-sitting young Charlotte and her brother Thomas, known as Finn, while their parents were at work, Leone said.

By the end of the workday, Thomas Mortimer and his wife were fighting on the phone, an argument that resumed when the couple returned to the home they shared with Laura’s mother, Ragna Ellen Stone, 64.

The argument did not immediately lead to any physical violence, however. Winchester police said they had never been called to the house for a domestic disturbance.

Laura’s sister, Debra Stone, talked to her and to their mother on Monday evening. At 9 p.m., Stone took another phone call.

But by Tuesday morning, Debra could not reach them.

When she called again, Thomas Mortimer picked up, according to Leone.

“It’s going to be a while before she can get back to you,’’ Mortimer allegedly said.

That morning, he called his office to say he was ill and phoned Finn’s preschool in Lexington to say the boy would not be coming.

The next morning, on Wednesday, Debra Stone went to the family’s house and found the door locked. She peered through a window and saw blood.

She left, then returned with a neighbor before calling 911.

Emergency officials broke into the house through the garage. Once inside, they found the bodies of Stone Mortimer and Finn lying in a pool of blood.

As they went farther inside, they saw Stone’s body in the hallway.

The trail of blood then led them to the second floor, where they found the body of little Charlotte, covered in blood, in her crib.

Leone said Mortimer used “blunt force trauma and sharp objects’’ to kill his family, though he did not specify the weapons.

There were signs in the house that Mortimer had tried to kill himself, Leone said. He did not elaborate.

As police searched for Mortimer, they used cellphone towers to track his movements and found that on Tuesday he had been in the Woburn, Wilmington, and west Andover areas. Near Andover, Mortimer threw the phone into the trash on Route 133, Leone said.

Police caught a break late yesterday morning when the gray Toyota Highlander Mortimer was driving broke down in the Lake Pleasant area in Montague.

A man and his son helped Mortimer jump-start the sport utility vehicle, but were suspicious and called Montague police to report the incident and license plate number.

In nearby Bernardston, a tiny town of about 2,100, police received an alert from Montague authorities to watch for Mortimer’s vehicle.

Bernardston Police Chief James Palmeri was patrolling Route 10 when he spotted the SUV headed south on the road some time after 1 p.m.

Palmeri said he was not looking for Mortimer, but that he was at the right place at the right time.
Leone said Mortimer tried to flee, but the chief managed to pull him over.

Palmeri said he arrested Mortimer without incident.

Mortimer, dressed in a gray, long-sleeve T-shirt and khaki pants, did not appear to have any blood on him, and, according to Palmeri, said nothing as he was placed under arrest.

Leone said he believes that Mortimer was trying to drive to Connecticut.

Mortimer’s father, Thomas Mortimer III, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

On Wednesday, during a brief interview with the Globe, he said his son and daughter-in-law had been arguing about how to raise the children, but the squabble appeared to be minor.

Mortimer had been out of work for about a year, but had recently started a new job at a Burlington technology services firm.

His boss has said Mortimer was working hard and was determined to excel. Other employers described him the same way: a professional, polite man eager to do well.

Andy Kim, chief executive officer of Proxy Networks Inc. in Boston, where Mortimer worked as a sales operator from 2006 to 2008, described him as friendly, personable, and respectful.

“He never complained. . . . He never made waves,’’ Kim said. “He seemed like any normal father taking care of the kids. They were the focus of his life.’’

In Winchester, where many residents were stunned by news of the deaths, about 100 people attended a memorial service last night at St. Eulalia Church.

Advocates for domestic violence victims said this type of killing is often foreshadowed by a pattern that may include unemployment, previous physical abuse, a controlling attitude by the perpetrator, drug and alcohol abuse, and threats to kill or hurt family members.

The deaths bring the number of domestic violence deaths in Massachusetts this year to 22, including perpetrators who killed themselves.

“This number is shocking and unacceptable,’’ said Toni Troop, spokeswoman for Jane Doe Inc., a statewide coalition against domestic violence and sexual abuse.

“It bespeaks the facts that domestic violence remains underreported and that knowing the warning signs can save lives.’’