Rochester Hills man sentenced for parents’ deaths

Pontiac — A 54-year-old Rochester Hills man convicted of beating his elderly parents to death with hammers and a tea kettle was sentenced Tuesday in Oakland Circuit Court to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Jeffrey Brian Maurer had been convicted of first-degree murder in the January deaths of William Maurer, 87, and Gayle Maurer, 85, in the home they all shared.

Maurer — as he had done throughout his four-day trial — remained silent at his sentencing before Judge Colleen O'Brien, who described the victims as "honest and good people" who were killed for unknown reasons.

"You have taken the lives of your parents in a brutal and horrific manner," O'Brien told Maurer. "...They supported you all your life.

"... This is reprehensible and a shock to the community."

Several of the Maurers’ relatives and friends attended the sentencing but were so overcome with grief they were unable to address the court, assistant prosecutor Ken Frazee told O'Brien. Frazee noted they wanted the judge to know they "missed their parents dearly" and agree with the life without parole sentence for their sibling.

Maurer had been examined by a psychiatrist after his arrest and found mentally competent to stand trial. In orange jail garb and belly chains, he stood impassively during Tuesday's brief proceeding, refusing to take a court form from his attorney, Michael McCarthy. The appeal form is a requirement to appeal any sentence. McCarthy said Maurer had refused to talk with him or respond to questions throughout the trial.

The victims were discovered after a daughter — who did not live in the home — became concerned for their welfare when they did not show up for church services, and she contacted Oakland County sheriff's deputies. Maurer, who lived in the basement of his parents home, told her they had gone out of town to help a sick friend and would not let anyone in the house.

Maurer was arrested without incident in the home during the welfare check and deputies determined he was attempting to move the bodies but the car in the garage had a dead battery. Testimony in the trial revealed he attempted to recruit a friend to help him move the bodies but the man refused.

Maurer, a college graduate and former high school athlete, had a history of substance abuse and mental illness and was convicted in 2000 of assaulting his parents.

mmartindale@detroitnews.com

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