Beattie Gets 20 to Life
by Ben Hogwood

Keefe Beattie, the man who pled no contest to the murder of Margaret
'Peggy' May, his caregiver, was finally sentenced to 20 years to life in
Lamoille County Court on Friday, April 23.
Beattie, 23, pled no contest to the second degree murder charge on
December 29, 2003, after he and his lawyer, Public Defender Marc Eagle,
accepted an agreement with Deputy Attorney Cindy Maguire, prosecutor of
the case. The agreement gave Eagle the opportunity to argue for a
minimum of a 15 year sentence, while Maguire would not ask for more than
a 20 year minimum. Judge Edward Cashman sentenced Beattie to the 20 year
term.
In sentencing, Judge Cashman stated the crime was both "cruel and
arbitrary." The sentence imposed was necessary to ensure public safety,
he said.
Beattie, a former Lamoille County Health client, was living with May
under her care since January of 2001. May was bludgeoned to death on
February 9 of that year. She was 55.
Since his arrest the day after the murder, the prosecution and defense
have had much discussion regarding Beattie's competency to stand trial.
Beattie has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and stopped taking his
medication prior to killing May.
In October of 2001, a judge found Beattie competent to stand trial,
allowing certain accommodations for his illness. The plea agreement
averted the trial.
Beattie was taken to the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St.
Johnsbury after the sentencing, but Maguire said he will eventually be
moved to the new Springfield prison, which has a mental health unit.