Two University alums arrested on charges of first degree murder

A Wharton graduate allegedly killed and mutilated his wife. Another is charged with shooting a Rhode Island man. and Jennifer Taylor Two University graduates were arrested on charges of first degree murder this summer. Last week, 40-year-old Richard Rosenthal, a 1977 Wharton graduate, allegedly bashed his 34-year-old wife's face beyond recognition with a rock and used a butcher knife to carve out her heart and lungs after an argument over burned ziti, according to police in Framingham, Mass. Earlier this summer, 1985 University graduate David Barrett was charged with one count of first degree murder in Providence, R.I., according to Chris Shaban, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Attorney General's office. He is being held without bail. When police checked the home of Richard and Laura Rosenthal on August 28, they discovered Laura Rosenthal's heart and lungs skewered on a wooden stick in the backyard, with the mutilated body nearby. Richard Rosenthal has been arrested and is being held without bail on one count of first degree murder. Although he was initially placed in prison to await trial, he was transferred to Bridgewater State Hospital, where he is currently awaiting a psychiatric examination. Rosenthal has no former criminal record, but has been diagnosed with a severe case of hyperthyroidism, which can cause erratic or hostile behavior. But Laura Rosenthal's former boyfriend told the Boston Herald that Richard Rosenthal "throttled" and beat his wife during a 1990 trip to Texas. He also said that in an "eerie parallel" the Rosenthals had a son die last year after he was born prematurely without a fully developed heart or lungs and blamed his wife for having a "genetic defect." Barrett, 32, a psychiatrist-in-training in Brown University's residency program, was charged with killing Joseph Silvia, 33, of East Providence, R.I., on July 18. If found guilty, Barrett could serve a life sentence. Barrett has been transferred from prison to the Rhode Island Heath Department, where he is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. A competency hearing has been scheduled for September 20, Shaban said. According to Providence Police Captain Joseph Breadmeadow, Barrett had an ongoing dispute with Michael Glynn, a clerk at McCane's Mobil, an East Providence gas station and convenience store. At about 1 a.m., Barrett drove to the station with two others and had an argument with Glynn, Breadmeadow said. Silvia, a friend of Glynn's, intervened in the dispute and then backed his van into Barrett's car. Barrett then walked over to Silvia's open driver's side window, pointed a gun at him and fired three shots, witnesses told police. Police arrived quickly after the shots were fired. Barrett did not try to flee and was arrested at the scene. Both the suspected murder weapon and a handgun were found in Barrett's car, police said. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writers Kara Blond, Josh Fineman and Jorie Green contributed to this story.

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