A 63-year-old Minneapolis man has admitted to killing his mother in her downtown Minneapolis apartment by taking a statue in the likeness of himself and striking her in the head.
However, a Hennepin County District Court judge is reviewing evidence about Michael Gallagher's mental illness and its impact on his case.
Michael T. Gallagher pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder in the Dec. 18 killing his 89-year-old mother, Patricia Gallagher. He remains jailed.
A court-appointed psychologist stated that Gallagher was mentally ill at the time of the murder and because of that mental illness, he did not know his behavior was wrong. The court is reviewing the psychologist's report and will issue an order this week addressing his mental health.
On the day of the killing, Michael Gallagher called police to his mother's apartment in the 100 block of Marquette Avenue and said he killed her. Officers found Patricia Gallagher dead from blows to the head from a sculpture and strangulation.
He said he went to his mother's apartment to help clean and do other chores. He reportedly told police he was despondent because nothing he did to get rid of the bedbugs in her apartment seemed to work. He also reportedly was convinced that the landlord wouldn't renew his mother's lease and that he would have to move all her things.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
