A Haverhill man who viciously beat an 82-year-old man with a lamp before stabbing him to death will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled on Friday, June 21.
Leedell Graham, age 53, was convicted on Tuesday, June 18, of the 2019 murder of Patsy “Pat” Schena at Scena’s home in Groveland, the Essex County District Attorney said. The jury found Graham guilty of first-degree murder with extreme atrocity or cruelty and breaking and entering with the intent to commit larceny over $1,200.
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Graham was accused of breaking into Schena’s Governors Road house intending to rob it, investigators said. At some point, Graham grabbed a lamp and beat Schena before drawing a knife and stabbing him.
He and Graham had done business in the past, authorities said.
Schena was a former US Army Reservist, building inspector, and a talented carpenter. He had children and grandchildren he loved dearly, the prosecutor said.
Prosecutors presented surveillance video putting Graham at the scene at the time of the murder and DNA evidence that implicated him in the deed.
“While no one can undo this horrific murder, we hope that the verdict in this case brings Mr. Schena’s family some small measure of peace in the knowledge that justice has been served,” said Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker.
