Tiverton Man Claims Insanity in Murder Trial

Claiming he suffers from “schizoaffective” disorder, the defense pleaded that Tiverton’s is not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday in . He is accused of killing his father, Conrad, in September 2010 and trying to kill his mother, Diane.

Beaulieu’s attorney, Jeffrey Pine, said his client waived his right to a jury trial. Judge Melanie Thunberg said the case will resume on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m.

Beaulieu appeared in court in a red and tan striped button-down shirt, tan khakis and Nike cross-training sneakers. He was unshaven but with a shaved head and was led into the court with three deputy sheriffs in handcuffs and shackled at the ankles. Beaulieu’s mother and sister sat in the audience.

Beaulieu was arrested on Sept. 5, 2010, and charged with stabbing his father, Conard Beaulieu, and mother, Diane, multiple times at their Tiverton home at 31 Windwood Drive.

“It’s a very unique situation,” Pine said to a swarm of media outside the courthouse following Tuesday’s proceedings. “Mrs. Beaulieu sits there as the victim of a crime and as a mother of the defendant. You’ve got to understand the emotions she’s going through.”

Pine said Diane does not hold her son responsible.

“He knows what he did,” Pine said. “He was in a psychotic state of mind at the time. He’s remorseful of the tragedy. “

Prosecutor Daniel Guglielmo presented a 35-page booklet as Exhibit 1, which he said contained transcripts from the night of the stabbings, including statements from and police, fire and rescue that responded, as well as statements from neighbors of the Beaulieu family.

Pine said Beaulieu has a “lengthy” record of mental health issues dating back 10 years, and said his parents, former teachers, tried to help him. He said Beaulieu had more than one hospitalization at Butler Hospital in Providence and Newport Hospital.

Guglielmo called Dr. William Land to the stand, a forensic psychiatrist of 22 years from Massachusetts. He said he’s testified in “hundreds” of criminal cases and is currently working on “half a dozen” cases similar to Beaulieu’s. Land said he spoke to Beaulieu in two one-hour sessions at the Adult Correctional Institution in late October.

“He suffers from a major mental illness,” Land said, adding that Beaulieu was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol the night of the murder. He noted that Beaulieu suffers from both pneumatic and depressive symptoms.

Days leading up the stabbings, Land said, Beaulieu went nights without sleep, had extreme paranoia and the medication he was taking was not effective.

“He said the FBI and CIA were bugging his house,” Land said, adding Beaulieu had Nihilistic revelations. “He thought he and his parents were already dead. He said he wanted to kill his parents before they killed him. It’s very troubling.”

Guglielmo suggested Beaulieu’s actions that September night “seemed very premeditated.”

Land said he took that into account, but added Beaulieu did not “have the ability to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions."

“After the police came, he didn’t attempt to flee,” he said.