A schizophrenic man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for killing a psychologist with a meat cleaver, the Washington Post reported.
David Tarloff, 47, admitted to killing Kathryn Faughey in her Manhattan office in February 2008. However, he claims his intention was instead to hold up another psychiatrist in the office -- who he hadn't seen in 17 years -- in hopes of stealing enough money to visit his sick mother in Hawaii.
As he pleaded for a light sentence, Tarloff apologized to the victim's family and described the torment of being mentally ill, hearing the voices of God and Satan.
"I've never hurt a single person intentionally," Tarloff said, according to the Post. "I didn't want to do this, I swear to God ... but I thought all these bad things were going to happen."
Faughey's siblings remembered their eldest sister, born to Irish immigrants, as someone who worked hard to build a life for herself. The judge shared a similar upbringing and suggested their sister was now living the same life in Heaven, the Post said.
Tarloff's lawyers argued he was extremely mentally ill and could therefore not be held accountable for his actions. Defense attorney Bryan Konoski told jurors that "David's reality is nothing like any of you have ever experienced in your life."
However, prosecutors said he acted deliberately and knew what he was doing the whole time.
"His illness doesn't negate the ability to assess the morality of his actions," Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Evan Krutoy said. "Convict him. Because he's guilty."
The victim's brother, Owen Faughey, called Tarloff a "liar."
"He is a liar. He is a thief. He is a thug," he said. "If given a chance, I know our sister would have helped him."
Tarloff was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault, and attempted robbery.
"It's final, it's over, and we're very relieved with that," said another brother, Michael Faughey.
Tarloff's brother, Robert Tarloff, said his brother needs help.
"Now that justice has been served for his crime, justice needs to be served for David - he needs to be cared for," he told the Post.
