Daniel Denny
A local man accused of stabbing his roommate to death accepted a plea agreement Monday in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
Daniel Denny, 20, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to Level 1 felony murder in the June 1, 2021 stabbing death of one of his three roommates, Eric Cavanaugh. Both the victim and defendant were 19 at the time.
Judge Kelly Benjamin has scheduled a 2 p.m. sentencing hearing on March 31.
“Whenever a defendant is found ‘guilty but mentally ill’ at the time of the crime, the court shall sentence the defendant in the same manner as a defendant found guilty of the offense,” Bartholomew County Deputy Prosecutor Joshua Scherschel said. “That means that (Denny) will be sentenced to between 45 and 65 years, with an advisory sentence of 55 years.”
After Denny arrives at an Indiana state prison, he will be further evaluated and treated for his specific psychiatric illness, Scherschel said.
The defendant has been inconsistent on the subject of whether he was in his right mind when the murder happened, investigators said.
On July 12, 2021, public defender Chris Monroe gave notice that his client intended to use an insanity defense. In response, two court-appointed psychiatrists who both practice in Indianapolis were hired to examine the defendant.
Dr. Don Olive submitted his confidential findings to the court on Oct. 4, while Dr. George Parker’s report was received on Oct. 19.
One week after Parker’s report arrived, the defense asked for a delay in upcoming hearings. It was during a court hearing on Jan. 13 that Denny first expressed his desire in open court to have a jury trial, a court spokeswoman said.
On Jan. 24, the judge approved a defense motion to withdraw the insanity defense. Then, on Wednesday, a change of plea hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. the following Monday.
The defendant admitted he killed Cavanaugh while they were sharing an apartment with two others in the Quail Run complex.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a third roommate told investigators he came downstairs and first saw Denny standing above Cavanaugh before the defendant stabbed the already-wounded victim again with a knife.
The fourth roommate, who locked himself and another person inside a bedroom and called 911, told police that the defendant “began shaking the door and tried to talk to him,” the affidavit states.
When police arrived at the scene, officers asked Denny and another roommate about who had done the stabbing. Denny raised his hand and admitted that he did it, the affidavit states.
While in the ambulance, the victim told officers he had no fight or argument with the defendant, according to a court affidavit. Nevertheless, Cavanaugh told police that Denny began explaining “why he was going to hurt me” just before the stabbing.
Cavanaugh, a 2020 graduate of Columbus East High School, died a short time after arriving at Columbus Regional Hospital.
