NIH Scientist Guilty of Attacking Roommate with Hammer

A former computer scientist for the National Institutes of Health has pleaded guilty to felony assault for hitting his roommate in the head with a hammer when his dog died while in her care.

On Aug. 4, 2014, Timothy Oliver, 68, of Rockville, left his dog with his roommate while he was at work. That evening the woman called him to say that the 3-year-old Maltese mix had gotten loose during a walk and was struck by a car. The pet died at a veterinary hospital.

According to charging documents filed in Montgomery County District Court, Oliver, was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Authorities say Oliver took his dog’s body back to his condo on the 6000 block of California Circle. As his roommate tried to explain what had happened to the pet, the scientist grabbed a hammer and hit the victim repeatedly in the head, fracturing her skull.

Following the attack, Oliver allegedly left his roommate unconscious on the sidewalk. A neighbor found the victim lying beside her cat, and a pile of personal belongings, reports WJLA TV.

Oliver, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, had worked at NIH’s Bethesda campus since 1980.

In a plea agreement announced Monday, Oliver admitted to the assault and prosecutors dropped the attempted murder charge against him, The Washington Post reports. Although Oliver faces up to 25 years in prison, state sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of four to nine years.

His sentencing is set for September.