Defense attorneys say they will appeal

The UA employee who was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder resigned from his position yesterday and is planning to appeal the verdict, his lawyer said.

Ralph David McCormick, who was a senior office specialist for facilities management, was found guilty of first-degree murder yesterday for the beating-death of his wife in August 2000.

University of Arizona spokeswoman Sharon Kha declined to comment on the status of McCormick's employment.

Michael Piccarreta, McCormick's defense attorney, said his client plans to appeal the first-degree murder charges on the grounds that the Tucson Police Department illegally obtained his taped confession.

Piccarreta said McCormick initially refused to issue a confession to the murder without contacting his lawyer. Prosecutors said McCormick later agreed to confess on tape. The verbal agreement was not taped.

"The main ground is that we believe then and now that this confession was illegally obtained," Piccarreta said.

Piccarreta said the court is normally reluctant to suppress confessions in first-degree murder cases.

"Without the confession, the state doesn't have much of a case," he said.

He said McCormick should have been charged with second-degree murder, but the emotions the jury felt during the trial were inevitable.

"If you asked a computer to digest all of the facts, it probably would give the answer of second-degree murder," he said.

Prosecutor David Quantz said the outcome of the case was exactly what he was looking for and he was not surprised that McCormick is looking to appeal the decision.

"I've never known a defendant in any of my cases who hasn't appealed," Quantz said. "I've also never known one who had the ruling overturned."

Quantz said Piccarreta stipulated that the confession was obtained legally.

He said McCormick's sentence could either be natural life, with no chance of parole, or a life sentence with eligibility for parole in 25 years.

"(The judge) will look at every relevant factor that will help her choose one or the other," Quantz said.

McCormick will be sentenced sometime next month.