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Man convicted in slaying seeks reduced sentenceBy Adam GorlickAssoc idled PressNORTHAMPTON — The lawyer for a man convicted in the torture and slaying of a mildly retarded Greenfield man says his client should receive a reduced sentence because of his own mental disabilities.Roger Perry was sentenced to IS to 20 years in prison in 2001 after being found guilty of manslaughter in the 1995 killing of Billy Paige.His attorney, Bill Newman, asked Superior Court Judge Bertha Josephson to reduce that sentence to a maximum of 14 years. Josephson took the request under advisement.Newman said Perry had fractured his skull after falling off a wall when he was 9 years old. and had a severe ease of whooping cough that caused him to stop breathing for a short time when he was 5 months old.He said Perry has a functional I.Q. of 68, and his childhood ailments added to his client's mental deficiencies. “There is no justification for what occurred, but there are explanations, he said.Prosecutors say Perry, his brothers Richard and Fred Perry, and their cousins John and Clinton Maynard tortured Paige in a house in Greenfield for nearly five months before he died in April 1995.Members of the clan wrappedPaige’s body in a wool blanket and dumped it in a quarry in Fitz-william, N.H.Fred Perry and Clinton Maynard were singled out as the ringleaders of the case, and were sentenced to life in prison after their first-degree murder convictions. Richard Perry pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison, and John Maynard is serving a six- to 10-year sentence after admitting he participated in the torture.Perry’s mother, Lena Perry, pleaded guilty to hitting Paige with her cane and was sentenced to three years probation.Roger Perry was initially charged with first-degree murder, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to manslaughter. A judge twice rejected Perry’s attempts to plead guilty to manslaughter. ruling that he could not understand the proceedings against him.Josephson finally convicted him on the manslaughter charge four years ago.Prosecutor Susan Loehn said Perry's sentence should stand, noting that he admitted taking part in the torture that led to Paige's death.When Billy Paige was murdered. Roger Perry participated in it,” she said. “The fact that he has some disabilities does not take away from the fact that he has free will.
Newspaper Details
The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Wed, Aug 31, 2005
Page 13
Full Page
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USA 10 Nov 2017
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