FARMINGTON — Attorneys in the murder trial of James “Ted” Sweeney presented closing arguments Monday before Superior Court Justice William Stokes, who said he will announce a verdict on Feb. 1.
Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said on the fifth day of the jury-waived trial that the 58-year-old former Jay man knew it was wrong when he struck his former longtime girlfriend, Wendy Douglass, 51, in the head multiple times with a softball bat while she slept at her home at 5 Jewell St. in Jay on July 11, 2017.
Sweeney, who is deaf, pleaded not criminally responsible by reason of insanity in October 2018. His attorneys have said during his trial in Franklin County Superior Court that he suffered from hallucinations and delusions, fueled by his belief that Douglass was cheating on him.
The two had been in a relationship for about 10 years before it ended in June 2017, but he still lived at Douglass’ house, according to investigators.
A psychologist for the defense testified Friday that Sweeney suffered from schizophrenia, while a psychologist for the state testified Sweeney suffered from anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Zainea said Monday that on the eve of Douglass’ death, Sweeney was able to text his son to pick him up to go get cigarettes because he had been drinking. She said that in the early morning hours of July 11, 2017, Sweeney took half a tablet of Viagra, had sexual relations with Douglass and smoked a cigarette afterward.
She said Sweeney saw a text on Douglass’ phone, got upset, picked up a bat, went into her bedroom and said, “‘You lie, you lie to me,’ ” then struck her, causing multiple skull fractures, a ruptured eyeball and hemorrhaging of the brain, among other injuries to her head.
Zainea said Sweeney believed “Wendy was cheating on him and nobody could have her except him.”
The prosecutor said that after the killing, Sweeney wrote a note that read, “I love you. You ruined my love. I already know you cheat. You lie, lie, lie a lot,” taped it on the outside of her bedroom door and put a vest at the bottom of the door to block any smells from getting out.
He also sent texts to two sons telling them he was going to jail and typed an email to his pastor telling him what had gone on, Zainea said.
DIDN’T CALL 911
Before Sweeney left the house, he touched Douglass, found her warm to the touch but didn’t call 911, Zainea said. Instead, he drove to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn and wrote a note that asked police to check on Douglass because he had hurt her, the prosecutor said.
Police found her body in her bed and a bat with her blood on it near the front door. A state medical examiner testified that Douglass died of blunt force trauma to the head.
“This defendant had the capacity to know what he did was wrong,” Zainea said. “What he did wrong was murder.”
Sweeney’s co-counsel Walter Hanstein said his client realized there was something wrong when he wrote a letter to Douglass in April 2017 that she kept in her purse. The letter said he needed to get his bad head out of his mind, Hanstein said.
Sweeney also told a friend that he was having bad thoughts, Hanstein said.
When he went to a doctor in the spring 2017, Sweeney was depressed, according to a medical record presented to the court.
According to testimony, another indication something was wrong was when Douglass woke up to find Sweeney holding a gun and threatening to kill himself, Hanstein said. Sweeney had his son take him to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston to be evaluated but was not admitted, his attorney said.
Robert Q. Pollard Jr., a psychologist who testified for the defense, previously told the court that Sweeney indicated to him that if he hurt Douglass, he would get arrested and get the help he needed, and stall any relationship she would have with someone else.
Sweeney told his son and others many times that Douglass was cheating on him, but never provided any evidence, according to testimony.
Sweeney’s jealousy was to the point of being delusional, Hanstein said, but there is no evidence that Sweeney wanted to kill the woman he loved.
Hanstein said witnesses testified that Sweeney treated Douglass well and there were no incidents of domestic violence.
Zainea countered that Sweeney was following Douglass, spying on her, putting up cameras.
“In essence he was stalking her,” she said. He wanted to know where she was, whom she was with and what she was doing, she said.
Zainea said the manager of the store where Douglass worked said it best.
Jennifer St. Pierre of Jay, manager of Food City in Livermore Falls where Douglass was produce manager, testified that she was aware of some of Sweeney’s behavior and told Douglass several times to leave him.
“This was not a healthy relationship,” Zainea said.
There is a difference between knowing something is wrong and having the substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of criminal conduct, defense co-counsel Thomas J. Carey said.
THE INSANITY DEFENSE
According to state law, a defendant is not criminally responsible by reason of insanity if, at the time of the criminal conduct, as a result of mental disease or defect, he or she lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the criminal conduct.
Mental disease or defect means only those severely abnormal mental conditions that grossly and demonstrably impair a person’s perception or understanding of reality, the law states. “An abnormality manifested only by repeated criminal conduct or excessive use of alcohol, drugs or similar substances, in and of itself, does not constitute a mental disease or defect,” according to the law.
Donna M. Perry can be contacted at:
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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