Former White House Lawyer Convicted of Attempted Murder
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(STAMFORD, Conn.) — After more than six hours of deliberations, a jury found a former White House lawyer guilty of attempting to murder his wife.
John Michael Farren, a 61-year-old who served as an attorney in both Bush administrations, was convicted Friday on charges of first-degree assault, risk of injury to a child, and attempted murder for a 2010 incident.
Prosecutors claim that Farren beat his wife, Mary Margaret Farren, with a metal flashlight and choked her in their Connecticut home in January 2010.
The attack came shortly after his wife served him divorce papers.
In closing arguments, the defense argued that Farren was a logical man who turned emotional following the threat of divorce, and he didn’t intend to kill her during the beating since he stopped when she was “vulnerable.”
Farren will be sentenced on Sept. 11 and faces a maximum punishment of 50 years in prison.
He was named deputy White House counsel in 2007 under George W. Bush, and also worked for the older Bush as under secretary of commerce for international trade.
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