ELLSWORTH, Maine — Following a two day trial, a jury has found a local woman guilty of aggravated assault and assault in connection with the beating of a man who lived in her mother’s apartment. She was immediately taken into custody Tuesday to begin serving an eight year sentence.
Amber Yurchick, 26, of Sedgwick was accused of striking John E. Beardsley, 41, several times with a club on March 23, 2013, in Sedgwick. Beardsley accrued medical bills totaling $10,164 for treatment he received at the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital following the assault, according to documents filed in Ellsworth District Court.
This is Yurchick’s third assault conviction. In 2007 she was sentenced to four years in prison after she was found guilty of arson, burglary, terrorizing, assault and criminal trespass for burning down a house she once shared with her boyfriend. And in March of this year, she was sentenced to 30 days for a different assault conviction.
Yurchick was on trial this week for hitting John E. Beardsley, 41, several times with a club on March 23, 2013, in Sedgwick. Beardsley accrued medical bills totaling $10,164 for treatment he received at the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital following the assault, according to court documents.
Yurchick’s altercation with Beardsley stemmed from a conflict between Beardsley and Yurchick’s mother, whose apartment he was renting. The two had become involved sexually, according to their testimonies during the trial, but Beardsley had become more attached and was often jealous.
On the afternoon of March 23, after drinking with friends, Beardsley came home to his apartment, which was furnished with Amber Yurchick’s possessions and on the same property as the house the two Yurchick women shared. He noticed his landlord’s ex-boyfriend was at her house and angrily smashed a chair on his porch. Amber Yurchick then broke a window in his door, entered the apartment and hit him with a club, Beardsley testified.
Matthew Foster, Yurchick’s lawyer, argued that his client had acted in self-defense and in defense of her property. He said Beardsley had come toward Yurchick when she entered the apartment and that she was concerned he was going to break other belongings in the apartment.
Yurchick’s prior convictions were not used as evidence during the trial, but they did factor into her assault charges being elevated. She faced up to 10 years in prison on the most serious charge of aggravated assault.
“This was a serious case,” said assistant district attorney Mary Kellett, who was the prosecutor in the case. “The jury considered the evidence and we’re pleased with the outcome.”
Yurchick’s attorney could not be reached for comment on Wednesday morning.