UPDATE 7-27-23: 30-year old Patrick J. O’Brien changed his plea on June 26, 2023, as part of an agreement with the state that will put him behind bars for 25 years. Read the full story.
Original Report:
A trial date has been set for a murder case in Sitka, and the defendant pleaded not-guilty when he was arraigned last week (3-8-21).
Patrick O’Brien faces first and second degree murder charges following the death of his father in late February.
On the night of Feb. 14, 28-year-old O’Brien was arrested and charged with assault for attacking his father on Kasiana Island. His father, 63-year-old James O’Brien Jr., was medevacked to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after sustaining head and facial fractures.
According to a probable cause statement, Patrick O’Brien’s blood alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit for driving.
O’Brien was originally indicted on one felony count of attempted murder in the first degree, felony counts of assault in the first and third degrees, one felony count of misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree, and interfering with a report of a crime involving domestic violence.
Following the death of his father and a subsequent autopsy, he was indicted on charges for murder in the first and second degrees. A trial is scheduled for July 6.
