Post by marion on Jun 20, 2006 18:02:24 GMT -5
Former county official on trial for murder after family suicide pact went wrong
By Jessica Su
Court TV
June 20, 2006
A former Colorado county official who survived a suicide pact with his wife and daughter is set to stand trial for their deaths this week.
On July 30, 2005, Phillip Dale Effland, 57, his wife Denise, 57, and daughter Brenna, 24, decided to die together by ingesting toxic doses of prescription medication, the Arapahoe County sheriff's office said.
The pact failed, and between 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. the next morning, Phillip Effland awoke from his self-induced coma and discovered his wife also still alive. According to authorities, Effland shot his wife dead with a pistol and took more drugs, but he survived the second attempt.
Jury selection in his first-degree murder trial began June 12 in Arapahoe County District Court. He was also charged with two counts of manslaughter-aiding suicide, using a weapon during a violent crime and causing death during a violent crime.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the Effland home in Centennial on Aug. 1, where they found two women dead, a disoriented Phillip Effland and several suicide notes. Authorities said that he barricaded himself in the bedroom. After 20 minutes, he was coaxed out and went to a hospital in a near-catatonic state.
Phillip Effland's eviction from his home of nearly 10 years and chronic health problems prompted the suicide attempt, sheriff's officials said.
In a Feb. 20 letter to county court, Effland asked for more time to move out because of degenerative disk disease. His plea failed; the Efflands were supposed to leave their home four days after they allegedly agreed to commit suicide.
Those who knew the former county deputy assessor were baffled by the alleged suicide attempt.
"It was shocking," said his former co-worker, County Assessor Edward Bossier. "He seemed knowledgeable and dedicated. He had a position of great responsibility."
"I don't know if he exhibited any [signs of psychological problems]. I heard he had a temper but so did a lot of people," Bossier said.
In the early 1990s, Effland seemed to begin a downward spiral. He was fired twice as an assessor and was unable to sustain employment, the Denver Post reported.
After his most recent stint ended in 1994 because of allegedly lying and refusing to follow orders, his supervisor, James Reeves, loaned Effland a few thousand dollars. The next Reeves heard from him, Effland said he had asked to be removed from the voter rolls and claimed the government could no longer watch over him, Reeves told the Denver Post.
"I just thought he was bullheaded to some extent," Reeves told the newspaper. "But in retrospect, he was showing symptoms even then of severe psychological disorder."
Reeves said the Efflands were a loving, close-knit family, but they had an extensive history with the sheriff's department.
Deputies responded to the home 28 times in the past six years. Brenna Effland, who neighbors said suffered from mental illness, attempted or threatened to commit suicide at least four times. In one instance, she allegedly attacked her mother.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the case. Defense attorneys were not available for comment.
The trial is expected to last eight days.
By Jessica Su
Court TV
June 20, 2006
A former Colorado county official who survived a suicide pact with his wife and daughter is set to stand trial for their deaths this week.
On July 30, 2005, Phillip Dale Effland, 57, his wife Denise, 57, and daughter Brenna, 24, decided to die together by ingesting toxic doses of prescription medication, the Arapahoe County sheriff's office said.
The pact failed, and between 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. the next morning, Phillip Effland awoke from his self-induced coma and discovered his wife also still alive. According to authorities, Effland shot his wife dead with a pistol and took more drugs, but he survived the second attempt.
Jury selection in his first-degree murder trial began June 12 in Arapahoe County District Court. He was also charged with two counts of manslaughter-aiding suicide, using a weapon during a violent crime and causing death during a violent crime.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the Effland home in Centennial on Aug. 1, where they found two women dead, a disoriented Phillip Effland and several suicide notes. Authorities said that he barricaded himself in the bedroom. After 20 minutes, he was coaxed out and went to a hospital in a near-catatonic state.
Phillip Effland's eviction from his home of nearly 10 years and chronic health problems prompted the suicide attempt, sheriff's officials said.
In a Feb. 20 letter to county court, Effland asked for more time to move out because of degenerative disk disease. His plea failed; the Efflands were supposed to leave their home four days after they allegedly agreed to commit suicide.
Those who knew the former county deputy assessor were baffled by the alleged suicide attempt.
"It was shocking," said his former co-worker, County Assessor Edward Bossier. "He seemed knowledgeable and dedicated. He had a position of great responsibility."
"I don't know if he exhibited any [signs of psychological problems]. I heard he had a temper but so did a lot of people," Bossier said.
In the early 1990s, Effland seemed to begin a downward spiral. He was fired twice as an assessor and was unable to sustain employment, the Denver Post reported.
After his most recent stint ended in 1994 because of allegedly lying and refusing to follow orders, his supervisor, James Reeves, loaned Effland a few thousand dollars. The next Reeves heard from him, Effland said he had asked to be removed from the voter rolls and claimed the government could no longer watch over him, Reeves told the Denver Post.
"I just thought he was bullheaded to some extent," Reeves told the newspaper. "But in retrospect, he was showing symptoms even then of severe psychological disorder."
Reeves said the Efflands were a loving, close-knit family, but they had an extensive history with the sheriff's department.
Deputies responded to the home 28 times in the past six years. Brenna Effland, who neighbors said suffered from mental illness, attempted or threatened to commit suicide at least four times. In one instance, she allegedly attacked her mother.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the case. Defense attorneys were not available for comment.
The trial is expected to last eight days.