Son sentenced in Millcreek woman's death By Madeleine O'Neill madeleine.o'neill@timesnews.com

WEB STORY

An Erie County judge said Friday that he recognized that Michael P. Burrows suffers mental health "deficits" at Burrows' sentencing hearing for his mother's 2014 stabbing death.

But the judge also said Burrows knew the killing was wrong.

Judge John Garhart sentenced Burrows to serve 12 to 25 years in state prison, followed by 15 years of probation. Burrows' mental health "deficits" - including an IQ of 65 and what his lawyer described as "a myriad of different diagnoses" - played a significant role in the hour-long hearing.

Garhart described Burrows, 21, as "severely mentally disabled and in need of mental health treatment," and said he had a "chaotic" childhood.

"These problems are not all of the defendant's making," Garhart said.

Burrows pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder in October. A plea of guilty but mentally ill is similar to a guilty plea except that it helps ensure the defendant receives mental health services in prison.

Millcreek Township police said Burrows summoned them to a Patlin Court residence on March 14, 2014, where they found his mother, Mary Burrows, lying in a pool of blood. An autopsy performed on Burrows, 54, determined she died of a stab wound to the abdomen. A knife handle was found under her body and an 8-inch knife blade was found nearby, police said.

Police said Michael Burrows was alone with his mother at the residence, which they shared. Burrows first said he could not recall what happened, but also gave statements that suggested he stabbed his mother during an argument about drinking, police said.

Burrows has been at the Erie County Prison without bond since his arrest in March 2014, court documents show. He received credit for time served in prison since then.

Burrows' lawyer, Gene Placidi, said at the sentencing that Burrows has previously been reported to have an IQ of 65 and received only limited treatment for a variety of mental illnesses.

"I do think, but for that, this would not have occurred," Placidi said. "My client from the very beginning has expressed remorse. I know he loved his mother."

Placidi submitted reports from two mental health professionals at the time of Burrows' plea.

Burrows quietly apologized at the hearing and called the incident a "tragedy."

Burrows' brother, David Burrows Jr., said Mary Burrows had feared her son.

"I didn't think he would kill her, but I thought he might put her in the hospital," David Burrows said. "She told me all the time she's scared of him."

Assistant District Attorney Michael Burns said Burrows' diagnoses had included schizo-affective disorder and intermittent explosive disorder.

"He's been a powder keg that's waiting to go off," he said.

Placidi said after the hearing that Burrows had received "a myriad of different diagnoses over the years."

"Our mental health treatment leaves something to be desired," Placidi said after the hearing. "It's unfortunate, and I think the judge realized that a lot of his problems were ... beyond his control."

Madeleine O'Neill can be reached for comment at 870-1728 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNoneill.