Davis found guilty in Johnson City murder, robbery

Suzanne Williams found some solace Thursday after a jury convicted a Johnson City man of killing her sister last year.

Christopher Davis, 44, gave no visible reaction as a Broome County Court jury found him guilty of murdering 50-year-old Patricia LaCaprara on July 8, 2013. It happened during the course of a robbery at 36 Brown St., in Johnson City, where they lived in neighboring apartments.

Thursday's guilty verdict for felony counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, came after 4 1/2 hours of jury deliberations and almost two weeks of testimony.

Judge Martin E. Smith scheduled sentencing for Jan. 2, and is keeping Davis in the Broome County jail without bail. He could be sentenced to a maximum of life in state prison.

Outside the courthouse, a teary-eyed Williams clung to family members and said the verdict brought justice for LaCaprara, who she described as "a friend to everyone."

"She certainly didn't deserve the brutal way in which she died," said Williams, a Town of Maine resident.

LaCaprara was killed in her apartment after being struck multiple times in the face with a blunt object, District Attorney Gerald Mollen told jurors. She had taken that day off from her job of nearly 25 years at UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, where she worked as an implant technician.

Davis, who lived on the second-floor, and LaCaprara had been neighbors for seven weeks before the murder.

Mollen said Davis needed money because his girlfriend had left him and he could no longer afford rent. The DA said it was unclear if Davis ambushed LaCaprara in her apartment or if she walked in as it was being ransacked.

Defense lawyer Christopher Grace, of Binghamton, told jurors someone else could have killed her. There was no physical evidence at the crime scene that could be traced to Davis, he said.

Grace declined to comment on Thursday's verdict, but said the defense might appeal the conviction.

After the verdict was read, Mollen said law enforcement officers built a strong case with about 200 exhibits and at least 30 witnesses included in trial testimony.

"The police and prosecutors are going to work on behalf of the community and we hope each time that justice will be served," he said.

The investigation leading to Davis' arrest the day of the murder unfolded on two fronts — one of them without any knowledge a homicide was committed.

Late in the morning of July 8, 2013, Broome County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Merrell pulled his patrol vehicle into Aqua Terra Park in the Town of Binghamton, where he encountered Davis by chance.

Merrell saw Davis emerge from a brush-filled area wearing muddy clothes. The deputy also spoke with an acquaintance of Davis, 20-year-old Binghamton resident Zachary Franks.

At the park, police searched a Toyota Camry that Davis had been operating. Inside, police found some of LaCaprara's property, including her driver's license and a shopping card registered to her.

At that time, police did not consider Davis a homicide suspect.

Police later found Davis at a Prospect Street residence after further investigation by Merrell, who discovered Franks had given him a false identity at Aqua Terra Park.

LaCaprara was the youngest of three sisters. She loved camping and sitting by a fire, those close to her have said, but spent most of her free nights watching TV with her friends and family.

Binghamton resident Barbara Gilmore was LaCaprara's landlord at the Brown Street residence, but said they were more like good friends.

After Thursday's verdict, she said friends help ease the lingering pain, but much remains unresolved.

"I just want to know why," she said.

Follow Anthony Borrelli on Twitter @PSBABorrelli