NEWS

State hospital killer gets 55 years

By Bill Engle

In a somber one-hour hearing Monday, a Richmond State Hospital patient was sentenced to 55 years in prison for murdering his roommate in September 2013.

Wayne Superior Court 1 Judge Charles Todd accepted a plea agreement and sentenced Daniel D. Davis to 55 years with no time suspended.

In the plea agreement, Davis confessed to beating to death 59-year-old Charles “Rick” Boyer on Sept. 1, 2013. Boyer was found dead in Room 1116 at the state hospital.

In September, Davis agreed to plead guilty but mentally ill to a charge of murder.

The death was particularly brutal, said Wayne County Deputy prosecuting attorney Michael Dean, in that Davis “was lying in wait” for the victim after a Sunday morning breakfast.

Davis choked Boyer into unconsciousness, beat him viciously with fists and stomped him with his feet before stabbing him in the mouth with a metal bar he had fashioned for the assault.

Davis told authorities he killed Boyer because he was annoyed with a sound Boyer made and because he was upset with being placed at the state hospital in Richmond.

Dressed in prison gray with closely cropped black hair, glasses and stubly growth of facial hair, Davis at first seemed belligerent, arguing with his court-appointed attorney, Steve Rabe, and pointing out to Judge Todd that he was not pleading guilty to “murder but mentally ill.”

But, later, Davis laid his head on the defendant’s table and softened. He appeared to be affected by comments by Boyer’s sister, Tyrenna Ball, who attended the sentencing hearing.

Ball made a brief statement, addressing the court and Davis.

“He was my only sibling and he was a sweet, kind man,” Ball said. “He had a beautiful singing voice and he loved nature, holidays and fishing. He was strong in his religious faith and he knew the Bible well.

“I hope that you someday understand that it’s not okay to take someone’s life because you are unhappy. I hope you get the much-needed help you need in prison,” she said.

When it was Davis’ turn, he sounded remorseful.

“To Rick’s family, I’m sorry about your loss because I didn’t mean to do that,” he said. “I feel real bad about it. I ... I ... I feel real bad.”

Hospital officials told police that Davis and Boyer had been roommates for several months and no incidents had occurred between the two.

According to an affidavit of probable cause in the case, Davis was diagnosed as mildly retarded with impulse-control issues as well as behavioral issues.

An official told police that Davis had not exhibited any violent behavior immediately leading up to the incident, but has had a violent tendency in the past, including a criminal history for battery, the affidavit said.

Dean said Davis washed his hands after the murder, sanitized them with alcohol and trimmed his fingernails to attempt to rid them of DNA evidence.

After the hearing, Ball said, “I just think the sentencing was adequate” and declined further comment.

Davis’ mother sobbed during the later stages of the hearing. She declined to comment after the sentencing.

Davis and Boyer were lodged in a secure building within the state hospital where only individuals living in the room and the hospital staff are allowed access to patient rooms. All other doors to the building remained locked.

Davis, 31, will be assigned to the Indiana Department of Corrections, where he will be evaluated and placed into in prison.

Staff writer Bill Engle: (765) 973-4481 or bengle@pal-item.com Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/billengle_PI.