Former White House attorney John Michael Farren was convicted on Friday for attempting to murder his wife. Farren was a White House attorney under both Bush administrations. He had been charged for beating his wife with a flashlight close to death, just after she had filed divorce papers. The seriously injured woman escaped the family's home with her two daughters, four years ago.
Farren faces up to 50 years in prison for attempted murder, risk of injury to a child and first-degree assault. He chose not to come face-to-face with his accuser during the three-week long trial. He attended in absentia, and was present only on the day of his verdict.
Farren's wife testified last Monday that Farren had broken her jaw with the metal flashlight and tried to strangle her while repeatedly slamming her head on the floor. She lost consciousness during the attack, but revived and sounded the alarm system. She then fled the house with her two daughters.
Following the guilty verdict, Farren was taken into custody with his bond set at $1 million. A former general counsel of Xerox, and deputy White House counsel under George W. Bush, Farren surprised everybody when the violent side of his nature became exposed. He had also served under George H. W. Bush administration in the White House as undersecretary for international trade.
In an earlier civil case, a jury awarded Farren's ex-wife $28 million in December last year. His trial was delayed over issues in representation. He first hired two attorneys for his defense, later removed them and tried to represent himself, and again reinstated the attorneys. Later, he asked for a public defender, but was deemed ineligible.
