New Bride Charged in Spouses Stabbing
New Bride Charged In Spouse's Stabbing
By Andrew Smith
STAFF WRITER
February 11, 2004
Deanna Anile had a good reason for sticking a knife deep in her husband's chest and slicing off part of his pinky last month, her lawyer said in court yesterday.
Anile was acting in self-defense because her husband, Timothy Tully, 39, of Lake Ronkonkoma, was trying to kill her, said her attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip.
'This is a classic case of my client being abused, time and time again,' Brown said at Anile's arraignment in Riverhead on charges of attempted murder and assault. 'She was fighting for her life.'
Police and prosecutors dispute that. Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Rafael Pearl said he would not concede that Anile, 25, was justified in stabbing her husband of six months. 'She might have severed an artery,' Pearl said, noting the blade came close to Tully's heart.
Suffolk County Court Judge Gary Weber set bail at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. Brown said he expects Anile or her family to post the bail. Tully, who owned a chimney sweeping company with his wife, could not be reached for comment yesterday. He spent a week in Brookhaven Memorial Hospital and has been released.
Brown said the couple married in August, after knowing each other for less than six months. Problems surfaced quickly, he said. 'On the honeymoon, he was abusive,' Brown said.
In the course of the brief marriage, Tully was arrested twice, Brown said. One was for harassment, after a physical altercation between him and Anile. She had an order of protection from that incident, which was supposed to have prevented Tully from attacking her, Brown said. 'She's the punching bag in the relationship,' he said.
The other arrest was for criminal possession of a firearm. Tully pleaded guilty to that charge days before the Jan. 31 stabbing, and is to be sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to court records.
After a night of drinking and partying at their home, Tully began hitting Anile in the face and trying to strangle her, Brown said. He showed photos of her with bruises on her face and neck that he said were from the fight. In the course of the struggle, Brown said, she reached for a knife to defend herself.
At yesterday's arraignment, Weber signed a new order of protection ordering Anile to stay away from Tully. 'I can see where it would be wise to separate them,' he said. 'One's got guns, the other's got knives.'
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint options
By Andrew Smith
STAFF WRITER
February 11, 2004
Deanna Anile had a good reason for sticking a knife deep in her husband's chest and slicing off part of his pinky last month, her lawyer said in court yesterday.
Anile was acting in self-defense because her husband, Timothy Tully, 39, of Lake Ronkonkoma, was trying to kill her, said her attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip.
'This is a classic case of my client being abused, time and time again,' Brown said at Anile's arraignment in Riverhead on charges of attempted murder and assault. 'She was fighting for her life.'
Police and prosecutors dispute that. Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Rafael Pearl said he would not concede that Anile, 25, was justified in stabbing her husband of six months. 'She might have severed an artery,' Pearl said, noting the blade came close to Tully's heart.
Suffolk County Court Judge Gary Weber set bail at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. Brown said he expects Anile or her family to post the bail. Tully, who owned a chimney sweeping company with his wife, could not be reached for comment yesterday. He spent a week in Brookhaven Memorial Hospital and has been released.
Brown said the couple married in August, after knowing each other for less than six months. Problems surfaced quickly, he said. 'On the honeymoon, he was abusive,' Brown said.
In the course of the brief marriage, Tully was arrested twice, Brown said. One was for harassment, after a physical altercation between him and Anile. She had an order of protection from that incident, which was supposed to have prevented Tully from attacking her, Brown said. 'She's the punching bag in the relationship,' he said.
The other arrest was for criminal possession of a firearm. Tully pleaded guilty to that charge days before the Jan. 31 stabbing, and is to be sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to court records.
After a night of drinking and partying at their home, Tully began hitting Anile in the face and trying to strangle her, Brown said. He showed photos of her with bruises on her face and neck that he said were from the fight. In the course of the struggle, Brown said, she reached for a knife to defend herself.
At yesterday's arraignment, Weber signed a new order of protection ordering Anile to stay away from Tully. 'I can see where it would be wise to separate them,' he said. 'One's got guns, the other's got knives.'
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint options
