Michael De Maio Update: Greenwich, Conn. man accused of trying to kill wife with bat seeks transfer to psychiatric facility
(CBS/AP) GREENWICH, Conn. - Michael De Maio, a Greenwich, Conn. man accused of bludgeoning his wife with a baseball bat at their mansion last week, is seeking a transfer to a different prison for psychiatric treatment.
De Maio, who is charged with attempted murder, appeared in Stamford Superior Court on Wednesday to seek the transfer from the Bridgeport Correctional Center to the Garner Correctional Institute in Newtown. His lawyer said he requires treatment for potential mental illness and other conditions.
The 55-year-old De Maio is accused of beating his wife, Diane De Maio, with a baseball bat on Sept. 10, leaving her seriously injured. The Greenwich Time newspaper reports she remains in a coma.
Michael De Maio has been out of work since surgery to remove a brain tumor in 1989, the paper reports.
The family's assets, including their $7 million house, are almost exclusively in Diane De Maio's name. She filed for divorce several months ago and reportedly cut off Michael De Maio's access to a joint checking account.
Diane De Maio's parents were the principal shareholders of Sica Electrical Corp., which was formerly the largest lighting service company in the tri-state area, the paper reports. Her father, Michael Sica, died in 2009 and her mother Gloria was at the De Maio residence the night of the attack.
Authorities have said the domestic dispute erupted after Diane De Maio confronted her husband about her seeking a divorce.
When police responded to the home the night of the attack, they found Michael De Maio at the door and Diane De Maio's mother on the second floor of the home screaming, "help me, my daughter is dying," the paper reports.
Diane De Maio was found bleeding profusely in the couple's master bedroom closet.
"I lost it, I just lost it," De Maio told police after being detained, the paper reports.
De Maio is being held on $1 million bond. He is scheduled to reappear in court on Oct. 23, where his attorney will again push for a transfer.