Crime
Paul Morey is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Patricia Donaldson, on Sept. 8
A 50-year-old man charged with the murder of his girlfriend was held without bail Wednesday pending a dangerousness hearing, court records show.
Paul Morey, of Salem, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 42-year-old Patricia Donaldson during his Wednesday arraignment.
Representation for Morey did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Police found Donaldson dead in her Salem home along Cabot Street while responding to a wellness check on the evening of Sept. 8, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office wrote in a release.
Donaldson had a whip wrapped around her neck, stab wounds on her chest, a pillowcase placed inside her mouth, and a pillow over her face, according to a police report obtained by The Boston Globe.
Morey’s family told police he seemed erratic and in a “delusional state of mind,” police wrote in the report. He allegedly told police he killed Donaldson because he was “in fear for his life,” per the Globe.
Police arrested Morey in Portsmouth, N.H., on Sept. 9 and charged him as a fugitive from justice, the release says. The report says police found Morey with cuts on his hands and forehead.
Salem police extradited Morey back to Massachusetts on Wednesday, court records show. He is charged with one count of murder and faces up to life in prison.
Morey’s attorney, Brian A. Kelly, told the Globe that his client has “potentially an issue” regarding his competency to stand trial, but the attorney is not raising it yet.
Morey is scheduled for a probable cause hearing in Salem District Court on Oct. 16.
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