LA GRANDE — The brutal slaying of Deanna Badgley is not a “whodunit” murder trial.

Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel and defense attorneys James Schaeffer and Jeffrey MacNeilly agree Mamas Genagritis killed Badgley. When it comes to the intentionality behind her killing in May 2022, however, the two sides disagree. The state plans to argue this was an act of rage, while the defense will put forward mental health arguments.

Starting the trial

McDaniel opened her case against Genagritis the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8. The 56-year-old pleaded not guilty to the single charge — second-degree murder — and remains in the Union County Jail.

The district attorney began by describing the imposing beauty of Mount Emily — where the couple’s Robbs Hill Road home was nestled. Badgley owned the house and lived there with Genagritis.

“She was a caretaker,” McDaniel said.

In fact, she said, Badgley was taking care of Genagritis up until her death. McDaniel told jurors the couple got into an argument over medication. Badgley called a local dentist because Genagritis was in pain following a tooth extraction. She was told he needed to take antibiotics and something to manage his pain — whether that be his prescribed medication or over-the-counter pain relievers.

This argument, McDaniel said, ultimately led to “a situation or rage and reaction.”

McDaniel told jurors that Badgley was struck in the face 44 times with a hatchet. She was laying in bed watching television in her bathrobe and socks. She had defensive wounds on her hands.

“This was rage,” McDaniel said.

The evidence suggests, according to McDaniel, that Badgley was then pulled from bed. She lay face down on the floor for some time before she was dragged down the hallway toward the living room.

McDaniel said Genagritis’ attempted to pick her up by the neck of her bathrobe before retrieving the hatchet and striking her seven more times in the back of the head, then threw pill bottles at her body.

The district attorney went on to say Genagritis tossed the hatchet outside and locked the backdoor. He cleaned himself up before he started making phone calls, McDaniel, said, to his brother in Idaho and Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen.

While on the phone with Bowen, Genagritis reportedly said “Help me. I killed her. She made me take the pills.”

McDaniel told members of the jury that throughout the trial the defense will attempt to provide reasons behind Genagritis’ slaying of Badgley, including the COVID-19 vaccine, low sodium levels and being tired. She urged jurors to use their “common sense” and asked them to hold Genagritis accountable for Badgley’s death.

Defense’s opening remarks

Schaeffer told jurors that Genagritis plans to raise several mental health defenses during the trial, including extreme emotional disturbance, guilty except for insanity and involuntary intoxication.

“This case is tragic because someone died,” Schaeffer said. “This case is not black and white. It is not open and shut.”

The defense chronicled the timeline of Genagritis’ increasing medical issues and mounting anxiety following his vaccine against COVID-19. During the course of the trial, Schaeffer said, doctors will detail the medications in Genagritis’ system and how serotonin syndrome may have led to a psychotic break.

“You will have to weigh it out in your minds,” he said.

Schaeffer told jurors the state will argue Genagritis is malingering, or exaggerating or pretending psychological symptoms to avoid a prison sentence. He asked members of the jury to consider what his mental state was at the time and whether he was malingering then. Schaeffer noted the doctors at Oregon State Hospital did not find any evidence of malingering.

The defense told jurors they would not sugarcoat the violence of the crime, but Schaeffer asked members of the jury not to prejudge what happened.

“I will be asking you to look deeper,” he said.