Murder of Kathryn Faughey

Background

Kathryn Faughey was a 56-year-old psychologist practicing in an Upper East Side office in New York City. Her attacker, David Tarloff, then 39, had a documented history of disturbing behavior spanning nearly two decades and was well known to psychiatric and medical institutions as well as law enforcement. Over the years leading up to the attack, Tarloff had received a range of psychiatric assessments and treatments, including medication and forced electroshock therapy.

The Attack

On the night of February 12, 2008, Tarloff entered the building where Faughey's office was located, passing the doorman while rolling a suitcase behind him, an act captured on the building's surveillance video. He told building staff he was there to see Kent Schinbach, a psychiatrist who practiced in the same office suite. While waiting, Tarloff chatted with a patient in the reception area during one of Faughey's evening sessions. Once that session ended and Faughey was alone, Tarloff entered her office and attacked her with a meat cleaver. Schinbach attempted to intervene and help her but was seriously wounded by slashes to his face and neck.

Investigation and Motive

Tarloff was arrested and arraigned for the murder. A psychiatric evaluation found him mentally competent to stand trial. Investigators found evidence that the attack had been premeditated, but that Tarloff's intended target had been Schinbach rather than Faughey. Tarloff told police he had planned to rob Schinbach, whom he remembered from a 1991 diagnosis of schizophrenia that led to his institutionalization. The initial investigation was reportedly delayed by HIPAA patient-confidentiality regulations. Tarloff was held in the psychiatric unit of Bellevue Hospital while awaiting trial, and his attorney indicated an insanity defense would be pursued, stating that while the evidence of Tarloff's actions was clear, the reasoning behind them supported that defense.

Trials and Conviction

Tarloff's first trial was scheduled for October 2010, but a mistrial was declared during jury selection after court-appointed psychiatrists found him mentally unfit to stand trial. A second trial began in March 2013 in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, with jury selection completed March 8 and opening arguments on March 11. Tarloff admitted to committing the killing but argued he should avoid prison due to mental illness. On April 16, 2013, this trial ended in a mistrial after the jury reported a third and final time that it was deadlocked.

A third trial was held in March 2014. On March 28, 2014, following seven hours of jury deliberation, Tarloff was found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of Kathryn Faughey, along with assault and robbery charges related to the attack on Schinbach. Faughey's family members were present throughout the trial; her brother expressed relief that the ordeal was over and that justice had been served. On May 2, 2014, prior to sentencing, Tarloff apologized to Faughey's family and described suffering from hallucinations for two decades. He was sentenced to the maximum penalty of life without the possibility of parole.

Broader Implications

The case prompted public discussion about the safety of mental health professionals who see patients in isolated office settings, drawing comparisons to other incidents involving violence against clinicians.