Authorities Say Alcohol Was Driving Force in Murder of Sherman Man’s Husband

In the latest update, he Connecticut Medical Examiner's office is saying that "chop wounds to the head" is the cause of death for a Sherman man.

Thomas Conley and his husband, James Maharg, lived together in Sherman and were both well-known designers in the Manhattan fashion industry. After a 911 call, police raced to the couple's home in Sherman to find Conley deceased. As previously reported, Maharg has been arrested on murder charges and tampering with evidence.

According to a News Times article, the couple was often seen around town at the bank, the liquor store and the grocery store. Sherman's First Selectman, Don Lowe, thought that alcohol might have played a part in the murder. This is what he told the News Times:

I am not going to diagnose them, but this is certainly something that many people in the town recognized. I don't think there's anything wrong with putting a lot of the cause on alcohol for that reason, but it's true.

When asked, many Sherman residents said the couple were very nice and friendly to everyone, and loved and cared about their community. One shop owner said that over the last few months, he would see them often during the week and noticed something just wasn't right between the two of them. They didn't seem as outgoing and happy as they usually were. The Western District Crime Squad will continue to investigate the death of Sherman resident Thomas Conley.