Elderly Man Accused Of Torching His Car And Attacking His Girlfriend

An Orrington man is accused of assaulting and strangling his girlfriend of 22 years, and then setting fire to his car in a gravel pit.

The BDN reports 83-year-old Francis Murphy  had admitted to the attack. The victim says he used a flashlight to enter her bedroom sometime late on the night of May 30th or before dawn on May 31st. He attacked the 85-year-old woman and strangled her until she passed out. Investigators with the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office say that the woman screamed and tried to get away but Murphy allegedly punched her three times and then continued to strangle her. The woman said that, when she woke up, she walked to the nearby grange hall just after 2 a.m.

On the afternoon of May 31st, police say Murphy took his Toyota Camry to a gravel pit in Bucksport and set fire to it. Inside the vehicle were many of his belongings, including about $6,000 in cash. He told police that he had taken a knife to the location with the intention of killing himself, but left the weapon on top of the burning car.

The victim told police that Murphy had been diagnosed with dementia and short-term memory loss, and had threatened to burn his car and kill himself in the past. On the night of the attack, she says he was upset because she planned to go visit her daughter.

Murphy was given a psychological evaluation at St. Joseph's Hospital and then charged with aggravated assault. His bail is set at $50,000. So far, attempts to get him admitted to a psychiatric facility have been unsuccessful.  If convicted, Murphy faces up to 10 years in prison.