WEST HARTFORD, Conn. _ An unidentified boy has been charged in the stabbing death this week of his sister and assault on his mother in West Hartford, a crime that stunned a community seeking answers to why the tragedy happened.
The 12-year-old boy was arraigned in his hospital room on charges of murder with special circumstances and first-degree assault. He had been injured in the incident. No motive has been revealed.
The mother injured in Monday's incident was identified by her employer Tuesday as Janemarie Murphy, a well-known lobbyist at the state Capitol. Although police have not released the identities of the victims, she was identified late Tuesday by the Hartford law firm where she works, Murtha Cullina LLP.
"We are devastated by the horrific tragedy affecting our friend and colleague Jane Murphy," a statement issued Tuesday by Murtha Cullina said. "Jane has been a valued member of the Government Affairs Group of Murtha Cullina LLP for over 24 years. We are doing all we can to support Jane and her family, and ask everyone to please respect their privacy during this extraordinarily difficult time."
The 12-year-old girl killed in the stabbing has not been identified by police.
Juvenile offenders 14 or younger face limited punishment under Connecticut juvenile justice laws.
"The maximum punishment for a person 14 or younger would be a maximum of 30 months of probation supervision with or without residential placement, minus any time spent in pretrial detention," said Deputy Chief State's Attorney Kevin Lawlor.
Only offenders 15 and older can have their cases transferred to adult court for certain serious offenses, he said.
Fresh yellow police tape blocked the yard and driveway of the large tan home on Stoner Drive, where police said the boy allegedly stabbed his sister and mother Monday afternoon. The home was decorated simply for Christmas with two grapevine deer in the grass, garlands on the lamp post and wreaths on the doors.
Detectives returned to the home late Tuesday morning, joined by an evidence collection team.
Murphy has spent nearly 25 years as a low-key but highly successful lobbyist at the state Capitol _ mixing easily with legislators and staff members in a quiet, effective way on behalf of her clients.
Widely respected among legislators and staff, Murphy, 56, avoids bringing attention to herself in a Capitol building filled with large egos. She instead quietly works behind the scenes without raising her voice, fellow lobbyists said. Some colleagues said they have never seen her mad.
Her friends and colleagues expressed shock at the incident for a woman described as a loyal friend and a genuinely nice person.
"You can't fathom it," said former Lt. Gov. Kevin B. Sullivan, a fellow West Hartford Democrat. "She's one of my favorite people. She's a nice, wonderful, smart, decent person. I am so sad this occurred to her and her husband and her family."
Sullivan first met Murphy in 1989 when she joined the research team at the Capitol for the Senate Democrats. They have interacted on various issues ever since, including most recently on tax issues when Sullivan served under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as the state's tax commissioner.
"It's family," Sullivan said Tuesday. "A lot of us know each other and have been together for a long time. It's a joy to know her and to work with her."
He said Murphy was in a special category of lobbyists who get the job done at the Capitol.
"They're not the screamers and the yellers," Sullivan said. "They just have great hearts and minds."
Democratic state Sen. Beth Bye of West Hartford described Murphy as a "really good person" and a "hard worker."
Word spread quickly Monday evening during a House Democratic fundraiser at the Hartford Club that Sullivan, other Democrats and lobbyists attended. Some of Murphy's friends immediately headed to nearby St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center to see what they could learn about their friend.
Out of respect for Murphy, state lobbyists canceled their annual meeting and Christmas party that had been scheduled for Wednesday in Mystic. Several friends described the domestic incident as a Shakespearean tragedy that they are still trying to process.
A Danbury native who graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., in 1984, Murphy joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Portland, Ore., upon graduation, friends said. Entering the volunteer corps was a common move for many Holy Cross students upon graduation in the 1980s.
In 1989, Murphy met Sullivan and other top legislators like Senate President Pro Tem John B. Larson when she became an aide for the Senate Democrats and served there through 1994. In December 1994, she became one of the founding three employees of the lobbyist arm of the well-known Hartford law firm of Murtha Cullina. For years, she worked directly with David McQuade, the leader of Murtha's lobbying practice who had been chief of staff for the Senate Democrats in the early 1990s and staff chief previously for Gov. William A. O'Neill.
"I've known her since 1982, and she's one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life," said Robert F. Shea, a West Hartford lawyer and Capitol lobbyist. "Everyone who knows Jane loves her. She is one of the nicest, most respected lobbyists. She's just a great person."
Shea graduated from Holy Cross in 1985, one year after Murphy, and he recalled that she worked in the college's post office and distributed mail to fellow students.
Another Holy Cross graduate, well-known attorney John F. Droney of West Hartford, is representing Murphy and her husband, Timothy Curtin, in the case. Droney, a professional colleague of Murphy, declined to comment Tuesday.
Janemarie Murphy's children attended the Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, friends said.
"Everybody is in a state of shock," said Matthew J. Hennessy, a family friend, former neighbor and professional colleague who spoke to Murphy only days before the incident. "Nobody can believe it at all. It's so unbelievable."
Across town at the school the children attended, counselors were ready to assist grieving students and staff Tuesday.
"Please keep this family, their friends, and all of our children in your thoughts and prayers," Superintendent Tom Moore said.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said the town was "incredibly brokenhearted" after learning of the stabbing.
"We will do all we can to provide support and help for the family, our students, teachers, neighbors, friends and the entire community," Cantor said.
Police officials said the investigation remained active Tuesday and that investigators spent much of Monday night at the home on Stoner Drive. An officer remained there at dawn to keep the scene secure.
Officers were first sent to the home about 3:30 p.m. Monday when the mother called 911 to say she and her daughter had been stabbed by her son.
If it is determined through the juvenile court process that a child has a mental health diagnosis, he or she can be sent for an indefinite period to the state's psychiatric center for children _ the Solnit South campus in Middletown _ for psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
A child could also be sent to Solnit South if he or she is deemed not competent to understand the court process. The child could also be confined at one of the Judicial Branch's two juvenile centers in Hartford or Bridgeport, or at a locked facility that is under contract with the Judicial Branch.
Late Monday, Cantor sent out a statement on behalf of the Murphy-Curtin family.
"Our family, friends and community are all suffering tonight," the statement read. "We are all enduring a very painful and unimaginable loss. Our family will never be the same. Our daughter was a beautiful child and we will remember forever her smile ... laughter ... and remember her for the way she loved and lived. We thank you all for your condolences and prayers. Please understand that this loss is not contained to our family. Our children attended West Hartford schools and have so many friends that are hurting tonight as well. West Hartford is a strong community. We are comforted to know that we aren't alone in our grief. We ask that as we are suffering, please respect our privacy as well as that of our neighbors."
