2019 Sherman Murder Case Returns to Danbury Superior Court

The 911 call came in during the wee morning hours on March 20, 2019.

James Maharg, who lived in Sherman with his husband, Thomas Conley, called 911 and told police, "My husband is dead." According to a Newstimes article, the two owned a Manhattan fashion supply company that was in significant financial trouble, and they were about to lose their country home in Sherman.

Maharg was charged with the murder of his husband, Thomas, after police found Conley's naked body at the bottom of a staircase amidst empty tequila bottles. According to a police affidavit,

The victim walked into the kitchen and said something nasty to Maharg, and Maharg pushed the victim's chest, causing him to fall backward into the kitchen cabinet shelf.

 

Maharg went on to tell the police that he must have struck Conley with a large object but couldn't recall the purpose or the time frame. Maharg initially told police that Conley had fallen and banged his head on the counter top. Later on, the Connecticut Medical Examiner determined that Conley had died by "chop wounds to the head" evidenced by blood spatter throughout the house.

Maharg first appeared in Danbury Superior Court on May 8, 2019, wearing handcuffs and a beige prison jumpsuit, but never uttered a word as he stood in front of the judge with his attorney, John Walkley.  According to police, the two had stopped commuting into Manhattan because their business was going belly-up, which meant their 20-acre farmhouse was going to be taken over by the bank. Maharg's pre-trial hearing is expected back in Danbury Superior Court on September 23.