Murder My Love (17 page)

Chapter 19

The next four months leading up to the trial would prove to be tumultuous. It began with Mr. Cohen meeting with his client in a private conference room in her prison. He introduced himself to her and offered that he would do his best to defend her against the indictment. He could not have been more cordial or solicitous. At the end of his introduction, Rita turned to him and snarled, “You better get me off because I didn’t do it.”

Shocked at her outburst, Zelman remained silent for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. “Frankly,” he said, “This is not the way to begin a relationship. I’m here to defend you, not to judge you.”

Rita looked at him with a furrowed brow and replied, “I’ve been shafted all my life. So why should I trust you?”

Zelman had already reviewed the dossier. He saw the crime scene photographs. He saw the pistol. He reviewed the ballistics report and, most importantly, he listened to the phone recording.

“It’s my job,” he said. Waiting for an answer, Zelman sat back in his chair. It was situated across the table that separated them. Rita’s handcuffs were attached to the table and she was absently tugging at them. She said nothing.

“Look, I’ve seen the forensic evidence. So, why don’t we start by telling me why you did it, instead of trying to bullshit me that you didn’t?”

Rita boldly announced, “I was justified.”

Cohen was baffled by her response. “Why?” he asked.

Rita avoided telling Cohen anything about her relationship with Linda. Instead, she told him that she was a good mother, an excellent wife and a hard working breadwinner. As Cohen appeared to be paying rapt attention to her story, Rita began to feel comfortable enough to relate the incidents with her father. She needlessly embellished the story hoping to gain his sympathy. She believed she had painted a portrait of herself as a model citizen who was suffering the burdens of a difficult life.

“So how did you end up in a sexual relationship with Linda?” he inquired.

Rita tugged forcefully at he handcuffs, and with her eyes aflame, and her jaw clenched, she hissed with spittle spewing from her mouth, “That lesbian bitch came on to me!”

Cohen was speechless. He paused for what seemed like an eternity until Rita had gained some semblance of composure. He continued by reminding Rita that she was being accused of capital murder. He explained that if she were found guilty, she could be executed. Rita seemed not to be phased by his warning.

“I think that the only way we can save you from a lethal injection is by proving you were out of your mind when you did this. I’m arranging for you to see a psychiatrist. For your sake, I hope you will fully cooperate with him.”

Mr. Cohen collected his papers, stuffed them into his briefcase, rose slowly from his chair and walked to the door. He pressed the button to summon a guard. As the door opened, he turned to Rita and said, “Don’t try to bullshit the shrink. He’s been around the block, if you know what I mean.”

One week later, Rita was escorted to the office of Dr. Sidney Gershon, a noted psychiatrist on the staff of Rocky Hill Veterans Hospital. Gershon was himself a veteran of the Korean War who earned his medical degree after he was discharged from the army. He had spent his entire medical career in the Veterans Administration system. His last assignment was in Rocky Hill at the end of his long and distinguished service. He was seated behind his desk when Rita entered his office accompanied by a matron. She was bound in chains, but less cumbersome than those at her arraignment. Gershon invited her to be seated in a chair on the opposite side of his desk. He looked much younger than the late sixties of his chronologic age and his youthful appearance allowed Rita to assume that he was not as experienced as her attorney had intimated..

“Mrs. Quigley,” he began.

“Miss Quigley,” she emphatically corrected him.

“My apology. May I call you Rita?”

“Yes.” She took in the trappings of his office and asked, “What, no couch?”

Dr. Gershon did not bite. He began by telling Rita that he was not engaged by her defense attorney to provide therapy. That was definitely not his assignment. His role was to determine her state of mind at the time of the incident. With that introduction he asked her to tell him about herself. Over the course of three sessions, Rita recounted her life. She told the doctor about her father, about living with George, about her life in Zephyr Cove, and eventually about how she met Linda Greenwell. She discussed, at length, how she’d established a relationship with Conrad, referring to him as being a fag. She said she detested his lifestyle but, in deference to his mother who was her friend, she counseled Conrad and protected him from bullies. She took great pains to distance her own sexuality from Conrad’s. She attempted to convince Gershon that her relationship with Conrad had nothing to do with any feelings that she might have as to herself being gay. She was not so much in denial, as she was attempting to portray her self as heterosexual, believing she would be treated better at trial. It took much effort for Gershon to prod Rita into discussing her relationship with Linda. Rita weaved a bewildering fantasy filled with denial. In her mind, she thought she would gain sympathy from a jury if she could convince them that she was not gay, but that it was Linda who had seduced her into a world of homosexuality. Gershon was buying none of it. He saw through her manipulative story. However, he was hired by the defense. It was incumbent upon him to present the most positive interpretation of his diagnosis to a jury. Having interviewed her three times and gaining some insight into her character, and having reviewed the crime scene photographs and other evidence, he formed an opinion.

Dr. Gershon composed a letter addressed to Zelman Cohen, Rita’s attorney, with a copy for the Court and the district Attorney. The letter contained none of the particulars of his sessions with Rita. Even in a court directed interview the content is confidential. Rather, the letter summarized the number of interviews conducted, a review of the dossier and his diagnosis. The essence of his letter concluded that Rita was of sound mind and in full control of her faculties throughout her life. However, for a brief period, she suffered from a dissociated state of mind. Specifically, at the time of the killing, because she suffered ill-defined stress, Rita was not sane. She could not be held responsible for what she did because she was temporarily unaware and not in control of her actions.

DA Rocklein read the letter and scoffed at it. He called Abby and read her the letter. Abby’s response was, “What did you expect? She’s guilty as sin. The guy has to say something to try and get her off.”

Rocklein asked Abby whom should they enlist to rebut Dr. Gershon. Without hesitation, Abby said, “Sylvia Weisbrow. I met her. She’s solid.”

“I’ll call her today for an appointment.”

“By the way, we need a sample of Rita’s blood to compare with the blood we found on the flower pot.”

One week later, an interview was scheduled with Dr. Weisbrow. All parties agreed that for Rita to meet with Sylvia on campus would be in no one’s interest. Escorting a prisoner through campus would be extremely upsetting and disruptive to the student body. Interviews were to be conducted in a secluded, private conference room in the prison. The police would escort Sylvia Weisbrow to the prison and return her to her campus office as often as necessary.

Rita was already seated behind a table, handcuffed to it, when Sylvia wheeled herself into the room. At the sight of the wheelchair, Rita immediately felt emboldened. She thought she could gain the upper hand over a disabled individual. Had she not cared for handicapped patients at the State hospital, where she held sway over the physically challenged? She had the same feelings during the interviews with Sylvia, attempting first to ingratiate herself with her, and then to manipulate her.

At the first meeting, Rita reiterated the same story she had told Dr. Gershon. It was now rehearsed, more fluid, and more convincing. Rita was pleasant with Sylvia, referring to her often as ‘Doctor,’ attempting to curry favor. Sylvia was kind and considerate, which led Rita to believe she was gaining her sympathy and, therefore, the upper hand. Sylvia was keenly aware of Rita’s tactic and played her role to perfection.

At the second meeting, Sylvia asked Rita to tell her more about her father.

“What’s to tell?” she asked. “He fucked me when I was a kid. That’s how I learned about sex.”

“How do you feel about that, now?” Sylvia asked.

“I’m not mad at him anymore. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. To be honest, I don’t give a shit, either way.”

Sylvia went on to ask if those episodes influenced her conduct with her husband. Did it have any impact on her sexual performance? It was the latter questions that turned the interview on its ear.

“First of all, we were never married. We just lived together. He stuck his dick in me whenever he felt like it, and I felt nothing at all.”

Rita’s response was telling. As brief as it was, it spoke volumes. Sylvia did not give Rita the benefit of a reaction, not even the blink of an eye. Sylvia pursued the questioning. “Did you have feelings for George?”

“He was a ticket out of hell,” she replied.

“What about Linda?”

“What about her?” Rita snarled.

“Did you love her?”

“How can you love someone who gets you involved in disgusting behavior?”

“Is that why you killed her?” asked Sylvia.

Rita refused to answer the question. She turned her head and stared at the wall until Sylvia terminated the interview.

At the third and last meeting, Sylvia again pursued the line of questions related to the behavior of Rita’s father. She wanted to know what shame she was suffering without asking her that question directly. In her own personal way, she was attempting to confirm her thesis, and her publications that the central emotion underlying rage is shame. She proffered that the loss of emotional control had its origin in behavior that was shameful to the individual. In most cases the act or acts were often buried in the dark recesses of memory. Once again Sylvia asked, “If your father were here today, in this room, what would you say to him?”

Rita thought for a while before answering. She thought it an interesting question, although the likelihood was improbable. She also thought that she should give Sylvia the answer she was looking for. Rita was now attempting to please Sylvia, believing that it would be beneficial to her cause. It was her belief that she was in total control and manipulating the psychiatrist to her own end. Her answer betrayed her intentions.

Rita looked at Sylvia and, as calmly as she could speak, she said, “You ruined my life, you son of a bitch!”

“Would that make you feel better?” Sylvia asked.

“No. I’d still feel like a piece of shit.”

Two days later, Sylvia penned a letter to DA Greg Rocklein with a copy to the Court and Rita’s attorney. Her diagnosis was that Rita Quigley was of sound mind, in total control of her faculties and at the time of the murders was in full control of her faculties and knew exactly what she was doing.

It was now up to a jury to decide which was the correct assessment between two versions of dueling psychiatrist

Chapter 20

Conrad Zimmer spent most of his days in prison curled up in a fetal position. If not lying on his cot, he would be curled up in a corner of his cell weeping. He ate sparingly. He appeared confused, unsure of himself, and in a dream state most of the day. He would stare into space for hours on end. Rarely did he go out into the courtyard when permission was granted. He remained reclusive and withdrawn. Joseph Brady came to visit him in prison and attempted to establish a relationship. From preliminary conversations, he immediately sensed that Conrad was passive and could easily be manipulated. Brady was struck by Conrad’s diminutive stature and wondered if that had anything to do with the way he had been treated throughout his life. He wondered also why his accomplice would choose someone like him to participate in the murders.

“Tell me something about yourself,” Brady began.

Conrad responded by telling him he had nothing to do with the planning or execution of the murders. His role was merely to enter the house through the dog panel and allow Rita to walk in, unannounced.

“O.K. Conrad, let’s assume that is the whole truth. I heard what you said on the audiotape. So why did you get involved?”

Conrad began to tremble, forced to recall the carnage. He told Brady that when he heard all the screaming and shrieking, he left his hiding place beneath the staircase to see what the commotion was all about. When he entered the kitchen, he saw what Rita was doing. He recalled that Rita was out of control, behaving like a maniac, as she was stabbing Linda. He feared for his life. That was why he assisted Rita with what little he did. At that juncture of his telling, he broke down into hysterical sobbing. Through a flood of tears, he blubbered, “I honestly believed that if I didn’t do what she said, she’d stab me.”

When he had recovered, he turned to his attorney and said, “Mr. Brady, Linda was my friend. You must know by now I’m gay. Linda knew that and loved me anyway. I would never have done anything to hurt her.”

Joseph Brady believed, with all his heart, that Conrad was telling the truth, that his story made perfect sense, that a conniving woman manipulated him.

He knew that his own belief did not rise to a defense in court. Conrad did, in fact, aid and abet a felony murder and was charged equally with capital murder. Brady left the prison and returned to his office to ponder how to prepare a plausible defense. He was certain that when the audiotape was played in the courtroom, the jury would find it devastating, and it would offer his client little chance of saving his life.

Brady sent Conrad to see Dr. Luke O’Connor, a psychiatrist affiliated with the West Hartford Gay Rights Center. The West Warwick police transported Conrad, in chains, to the doctor’s office. At their first meeting, Conrad recounted his early childhood, focusing on the abuse he received from his distant father. He told the doctor he knew from an early age that he was gay, but was incapable of telling either parent, most especially his father. He never had his father’s love and was fearful that telling his mother would leave him totally abandoned. He loved his mother, but somehow, at the same time, resented her for not challenging her husband for the way he was abused. His ambivalence was palpable. He related stories of how he had nothing in common with other children and felt totally isolated in a small town, how parents shielded their children from playing with him. The only person who did not fit that mold was Rita Quigley. She not only befriended him, she nurtured him. He felt he owed her an enormous debt of gratitude. That debt consumed him and dominated his relationship with her. He knew she was using it to control him, but he had no way to escape from it.

At his second meeting with Dr. O’Connor, Conrad was asked to compare his relationships with both Rita and Linda, Conrad thought about it before answering. He said, “They were different.”

“How so?” O’Connor prodded.

I’ve known Rita since I was around five years old. She was always like a second mother. She did a lot for me but she demanded a lot, too.”

“In what way?” O’Connor asked.

“I don’t know. Whenever she did something nice, she always made me feel like I owed her something.” Conrad went on to describe how little he had to do with her children. There was no bonding with the boys, and the girls were into their own world of music, makeup and movies. He did admit that Rita frequented his salon and was a good customer.

Dr. O’Connor then asked, “How did you come to open a salon in such a small town?”

“It was because of Linda,” he said excitedly. “When Linda moved into town and I was introduced to her, I knew, and she knew we were both gay.” Conrad elaborated on how his relationship grew, how they bonded, how they shared stories, and how she encouraged him to open a beauty parlor.
“So, what went wrong?” O’Connor asked.

Without a second’s thought Conrad answered, “Rita came out of the closet.” He told the doctor that he never suspected Rita was gay. He knew that she had a shitty marriage, but she always carried herself as hetero. It was Linda who suspected that Rita was gay and led her out of the closet. He said that Rita’s behavior changed dramatically. Rita became possessive. She had less to do with him and more to do with Linda. Rita became jealous of every minute he spent with Linda. She acted like she owned Linda.

“If she loved her so much, why do you think Rita killed Linda?” he asked.

“Dr. O’Connor, isn’t it obvious? Linda dumped Rita for another woman. Rita couldn’t handle it.”

“Well, then, Conrad, how did you get caught up in this horrible mess?”

Conrad screamed, “Rita! Rita! Rita! I had no idea she wanted to kill her. I thought she wanted to scare her, persuade her to go back to her. I loved Linda. Why would I do her any harm?”

Conrad proceeded to blubber for a full five minutes, sobbing uncontrollably.

Dr. O’Connor had listened attentively. More than listening, he paid attention to body language. After so many years of psychiatric practice, he felt that he learned more from patients’ behaviors than from the words that emanated from their mouths. He had treated many gay children and adults, and was well aware of the problems they confronted. The story that Conrad related resonated with him, as he had heard variations of it time and again. O’Connor’s role was not to counsel Conrad, or to reassure him of his self worth, but to offer Brady a plausible defense for Conrad’s participation in a grizzly murder.

O’Connor had dismissed Conrad, but before writing a letter, he called Brady. He provided a synopsis of what he had learned. Brady replied that he gleaned the same information and knew pretty much everything the doctor had told him.

“The issue, Luke, is that none of his story will fly as a defense in court.”

“I’m well aware of that. Here’s a hook you might employ. Why don’t you use the ‘Extreme Emotional Distress’ argument?”

“Why? Because it’s never been used successfully in Connecticut.”

“There’s always a first time.”

DA Rocklein read the letter. He was not as off-put as he was with the one from Dr. Gershon in reference to Rita. He needed a rebuttal psychiatrist for O’Connor’s testimony and preferred to engage Dr. Sylvia Weisbrow, but he didn’t know if the judge would allow it. Rocklein called the judge and stated his reason for an appointment. Judge McGourty said that he would accommodate the DA by seeing him in chambers, but only if counsels for both defendants were in attendance. They all arrived in the judge’s chamber during the noon recess.

“Ed, do you have any problem with my asking Dr. Weisbrow to see Zimmer?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Because she will be my rebuttal witness in the Quigley trial and her insight and detachment is remarkable. Counsel has a copy of her letter. She’d be a terrific witness on the stand. I could use the same clarity of thought with Zimmer.”

The judge told Rocklein that he had no problem with using the same psychiatrist. There would be two separate trials, and in his judgment, there was no conflict of interest with Weisbrow being the rebuttal witness at both trials. He turned to Gershon and Brady and asked, “Do either of you have an objection.”

Both demurred.

“I’m glad we had this chat,” Rocklein said with a hint of humor. “I thought for sure you’d say ‘no’.”

“Rarely do I have to say ‘no’ to you, Greg, especially when your adversarial colleagues are so accommodating.” Addressing all three attorneys, he advised, “Go back to your offices and prepare for the trials. They’ll be hum-dingers. But let me warn you, I will not tolerate theatrics. We will all be under the scrutiny of the press.”

The examination by Sylvia Weisbrow ran along the same lines as the interviews with Dr. O’Connor. Sylvia was taken with Conrad’s passivity. In her letter to the DA she pointedly stated that Conrad Zimmer had an ineffectual personality and could easily be manipulated. He longed for approval and would do virtually anything to gain it. She summarized her assessment by saying that Conrad was the kind of person who lived through others. Essentially, he had no backbone.