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Jury deliberations begin in Quincy murder trial

The Patriot Ledger - 3/16/2019

March 16-- Mar. 16--DEDHAM - A jury of seven women and five men will resume deliberations Monday in a Quincy murder trial that dates back a nearly a decades.

Both prosecutors and the defense agree that in August 2009, then 52-year-old Joseph Beatty of Quincy strangled his 33-year-old girlfriend Mary Beaton in her Wollaston apartment, then raped her and finally killed her by smothering her with a pillow. But in his closing statement on Friday, defense attorney Tim Bradl said the now 61-year-old Beatty was suffering from metal illness, brought on by his experiences of being sexually abused as a child and domestic violence in his childhood home.

"This is not first degree, diabolical murder," Bradl said. "This is a sick person who did something unspeakable."

Bradl told the jury it is up to them to decide whether Beatty, who is charged with murder and aggravated rape, suffered from mental illness. Recalling medical testimony presented over the course of the two-week trial, Bradl said Beatty has no history of violence toward women and no motive to kill Beaton.

"There's nothing rational about this," he said.

Bradl told jurors that their decision would determine where Beatty will goes after the trial: either to a mental facility if found not guilty due to insanity, or to prison if found guilty of murder. He said if the jury can't find that Beatty was mentally ill at the time of the crime they should return a verdict of manslaughter.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Blair told the jurors that Beatty's actions before and after Beaton's death show he was not suffering from mental illness at the time.

"This crime was committed in such a deliberate manner," Blair said. "Think of all the time that passed, all the points when he could have called for help."

She also noted the extreme violence of the attack, saying that Beatty choked Beaton with his bare hands and enough force to break a bone in her neck.

Blair said the day after the attack, Beatty went to Boston Medical Center, where the staff evaluated him and discharged him.

Beatty listened to the arguments dressed in a pair of blue jeans with a ripped knee and a dark blue jersey. The jury got the case shortly before noon Friday, following closing arguments from lawyers and instructions from Norfolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connors. The jury recessed at the end of the day without reaching a verdict.

Beatty was indicted by a Norfolk County grand jury weeks after the alleged murder and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in October 2009.

Since then, Beatty has undergone several competency hearings, according to court records. He was committed to Bridgewater State Hospital at one point because he was deemed a possible danger to himself. A jury trial was first scheduled for Beatty in 2015, but was pushed off several times. He was deemed competent to stand trial earlier this year.

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