Contact: Beth Stone- (508) 584-8120
BROCKTON – In a rare courtroom move, a Rockland man opted to plead guilty today to a charge that he brutally murdered his wife and then watched her die in the driveway of their home, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
Richard S. Langley (DOB: 02/22/58) was scheduled to appear at a status hearing today in Brockton Superior Court when he changed his plea to guilty to a charge of First Degree Murder for the stabbing of his wife, Patricia Langley.
On June 11, 2014 at approximately 7:36 p.m., Rockland Police received a 911 call reporting a woman had been stabbed at 189 Moncrief Road in Rockland. When police arrived at that location, they found 52-year-old Patricia Langley lying in her driveway. Langley was suffering from six stab wound and neighbors had come to her aid and used a towel to attempt to stop her bleeding. Langley was rushed to South Shore Hospital where she died a short time later.
“This was a vicious crime,” DA Cruz said. “Family members have endured the gruesome details of the senseless, brutal murder of their mother at the hands of their father. I hope that over time, Mr. Langley’s decision to spend his life in prison will help bring some closure to them.”
A court clinician evaluated Langley and family members were given the opportunity to give victim impact statements before Judge C.J. Moriarty sentenced Langley to serve life in prison.
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Sharon Donatelle and was investigated by State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office and Rockland Police.
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