Stephen Morgan Not Guilty Of Wesleyan Murder By Reason Of Insanity

Stephen Morgan was insane when he deliberately shot and killed Wesleyan University student Johanna Justin-Jinich in 2009 and therefore is not guilty of murder, a three-judge panel ruled Friday.

The verdict was announced at Superior Court after seven days of testimony and less than an hour and a half of deliberation.

"I think it's a just verdict, based on the evidence," said John Maxwell, one of two lawyers representing Morgan. "Look, there's no good ending for anyone in this. It's a horrible tragedy that befell two very, very nice families."

Morgan also was found not guilty, by reason of mental disease or defect, of two other charges against him: intimidation due to racial bigotry or bias, and possession of a pistol without a permit.

He didn't show any emotion when the verdict was announced. He nodded when his other defense attorney, Richard Brown, leaned over and told him that he was not going back to jail.

Morgan, from Marblehead, Mass., will be sent to the maximum-security Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown for 60 days, during which he will be evaluated. The judges will meet Feb. 29 to decide how long he should be committed to Whiting.

The 32-year-old Morgan could be committed for up to 75 years. Lawyers on both sides said it was highly unlikely that he would be released after just 60 days.

Still, the mayor of Middletown, Daniel T. Drew, blasted the judges in a press release, calling the verdict "another tragic example of a calculating killer abdicating responsibility for the life he's destroyed."

"It is astounding that the man, who killed a young girl in cold blood, could be released to us as soon as 60 days from now," Drew said. "The city of Middletown will take every avenue possible to block Morgan's release."

The panel was made up of Judge Susan B. Handy, who was the presiding judge, and Judges Julia L. Aurigemma and James M. Bentivegna.

They found that Morgan deliberately gunned down Justin-Jinich, 21, on May 6, 2009, as she worked behind the counter of the Red & Black Cafe in Broad Street Books, two blocks from the Wesleyan campus. He had mental lapses as early as kindergarten, but was not properly diagnosed and treated until after the homicide, according to testimony.

"The key was the fact that the psychiatrist hired by the state of Connecticut found that my client could not, in fact, conform his actions to the law," Brown said. "The state could not produce one person in over 21/2 years" who could testify that he wasn't suffering from a mental defect.

Asked if Morgan's family had any regrets that he didn't get more help sooner, Brown said, "In hindsight, who wouldn't have regrets?"

Brown said that Morgan's family was glad that he will be in a facility where he can get the help he needs.

"Their heart goes out to the family of the victim," Brown said. "It was very difficult for them to go to court every day and see the family of the victim."

Morgan's father, James Morgan, declined to comment about the verdict, as did representatives of Justin-Jinich's family and Wesleyan University. Some Wesleyan students got stuck in a courthouse elevator right before the verdict was announced.

"I do feel that at the end of the day, society is better off having him treated in a mental health facility than simply locked up in a prison with no help," Brown said.

Prosecutor Timothy J. Liston said he was disappointed that he couldn't convince the panel that Morgan was guilty.

"This is a very experienced, very qualified panel of judges, so I can't argue the finding," he said.

Justin-Jinich's immediate family members, who are from Colorado, were not at the courthouse to hear the verdict, but a statement from her father, Daniel Jinich, was distributed before it was announced.