A Newark man accused of trying to kill his father inside his home in March will spend at least four years in prison.
A Licking County jury on Oct. 21 found Mark D. Burrier, 58, not guilty of attempted murder, but convicted him on felonious assault and domestic violence charges, court records show. In a complaint, deputies alleged the father, 80 at the time, reported Burrier showed up unannounced March 26 at his house and hit him in the head half a dozen times.
“The acquittal of the attempted murder charge is the appropriate verdict,” Burrier’s attorney Eric Brehm said in a statement to The Advocate. “Domestic violence cases are emotionally complicated for everyone involved. Mark’s case was tough and complicated, but he understands the sentence of the court and believes it to be fair.”
In a news release, the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office said the father suffered a gash to his scalp that required stapling as well as bruising and swelling on his forehead. The release also alleged that Burrier pinned his father’s hands under him and punched him several times in the head.
Licking County prosecutors charged Burrier with attempted murder after authorities took the father to Licking Memorial Hospital for treatment and observation. The father healed from his injuries but in a letter to Licking County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Marcelain called his son’s actions painful and traumatic.
Marcelain sentenced Burrier to 4-6 years in prison with credit for 216 days already served. Burrier must also serve 1½-3 years of probation after his release.
Prosectuors requested a prison term of seven years for Burrier, according to the release.
Deputies arrested Burrier at a hotel in Newark about 20 minutes after he left his father’s home March 26, and said Burrier admitted to hitting his father before stopping when he saw blood, according to the complaint.
Burrier told deputies he went to his father’s house to stop him from messing up his life and that he did tell him he wanted him dead, the complaint states. The father reported that he and Burrier argued about three days before the assault.
In the letter, the father said Burrier has struggled with mental health issues for years and that the March 26 assault wasn’t the first time Burrier threatened other people.
The family reconnected after Burrier went to his sister’s house asking for help, but the father wrote that he no longer felt safe around him. He and the prosecutor’s office said Burrier hasn’t shown any remorse for his actions.
The father also wrote that Burrier desperately needs mental health treatment and asked Marcelain to give Burrier another chance to seek help because he believes that Burrier is capable of good things and wants to see him succeed.
“What he did was painful and traumatic,” the father wrote. “While I have physically healed, the emotional impact continues. What Mark is putting our family through now is long-lasting and will affect us for years. More than anything, we want him to acknowledge his actions, so he can begin the process of getting better and rebuilding his life.”
Burrier pleaded not guilty to the charges in April. Brehm sought a mental health evaluation for Burrier, and doctors reported him competent to stand trial, which Marcelain accepted during a hearing in September.
Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark man accused of trying to beat father to death sentenced for assault
Reporting by Josué Perez, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
