Oakland County judge sentences man to 250 days in jail for assault on neighbor with pipe
A Madison Heights man who struck a neighbor with a metal pipe on Christmas Eve last year was sentenced to 250 days in jail on Tuesday for felonious assault, even as the victim's brother said he believed Robert Cavanaugh would still be alive if he hadn't been hit.
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews also gave Rodney Beasley, 69, credit for 105 days served, meaning he'll serve about five months in connection with the assault of Robert Cavanaugh, 60. He had faced up to four years in prison.
Matthews said she reviewed the police report, the medical examiner's report and a picture of Cavanaugh's face after the assault to understand the facts available in the case. That was complicated by what she said was a series of "truths and non-truth" in witness statements from the police report, including Beasley himself, though she didn't elaborate on details.
"I tried really hard to separate emotion from science," she said during sentencing.
A few things seem undisputed by attorneys about the fight between Beasley and Cavanaugh on Dec. 24, 2024: Cavanaugh was drunk, and initiated a confrontation with Beasley. Beasley struck Cavanaugh in the head with a pipe.
Cavanaugh died after the incident, but the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said the medical examiner determined his cause of death was a heart attack he had shortly after the injury.
Beasley pleaded no contest to the felonious assault charge, which means he accepted the conviction but did not admit guilt as part of his plea.
In a statement to the court before Matthews delivered her sentence Tuesday, Cavanaugh's brother, Charlie Cavanaugh, painted him as someone with "Jekyll and Hyde" aspects to his personality: Someone who struggled with alcoholism and the ability to get violent — he himself had been a target before — but who was also always willing to help others unconditionally. He told a story of a woman who came to his brother's candlelight vigil and said she hadn't known before who mowed her grass for her — something Charlie Cavanaugh said Robert did as a favor when he also mowed the grass at his church.
"If we took Bob and tip the scales, the good outweighs the bad, by a lot," Cavanaugh said during his statement.
Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa said meetings with Oakland County's medical examiner solidified prosecutors' understanding that Cavanaugh died from a heart attack. However, the medical examiner determined the head trauma from the pipe was a contributing factor.
Jeff Wattrick, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, previously said that because the medical examiner found Cavanaugh died of a heart attack, prosecutors would not be able to prove any charge higher than felonious assault in court.
Pietrofesa said the injury to Cavanaugh's head from the pipe was about a half-inch long, and caused a lot of bleeding. But the medical examiner did not find any signs of a brain injury or skull fracture.
"We made a charging decision based on how the facts are reflected. That charging decision can never repair the loss of a brother," Pietrofesa told the court.
However, Charlie Cavanaugh said he has struggled with the official conclusion about his brother's cause of death.
"I think if the pipe was taken out of the equation, my brother could very well be with us today," he said.
Matthews replied she believes it's likely the assault on Robert Cavanaugh accelerated his heart attack. But she said considering evidence of his existing health problems, including clogged arteries, and intoxication at the time, it's not possible know for sure that the heart attack wouldn't have happened anyway.
"Nobody has a crystal ball, right?" she told Charlie Cavanaugh.
Beasley made only a brief statement in court, saying things "just happened all at once" during the confrontation. However, Matthews told him he escalated the situation when he chose to use a weapon.
"When you pick up a weapon, you're now responsible for the consequences of using that weapon," she said.
Leonard Ballard, Beasley's attorney, said he hoped his client would only receive credit for time served as his sentence, given his lack of criminal history. He said he believed some statements that have come up at various points in the case, including a claim that Cavanaugh was trying to stop Beasley from beating his dog, exacerbated attention on the case.
Wattrick, the spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, said no evidence of Beasley abusing a dog came up during investigations of the case.
But Ballard felt the sentence was fair nevertheless, praising Matthews for her careful consideration of the case.
"She's very fair, she's very thoughtful in her sentencing," he said.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams echoed the appropriateness of the sentence in a statement, affirming the conclusions made about Cavanaugh's cause of death.
"Attacking someone with a pipe is unacceptable and unlawful. Mr. Beasley is being held accountable for his actions," he said.
jcardi@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Oakland County judge sentences man to 250 days in jail for assault on neighbor with pipe