Ex-NIH computer scientist gets 6-year sentence in hammer attack

By Dan Morse ^[1],

A longtime computer scientist at the National Institutes of Health was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday for repeatedly slamming a hammer into his roommate's skull after learning that his dog — while under the care of the roommate — had been killed by a car.

"The fact that you would — to use your lawyer's word — explode over something like this is pretty incredible," Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David A. Boynton told Timothy Oliver, 69, of Rockville. "People lose family members, people lose dogs, every day. But they don't hit people with hammers."

Oliver, wearing civilian clothes and with a shock of blond, curly hair, showed little emotion, then took a seat to read the terms of the sentence given to him.

His violent outburst 18 months ago, which left the victim with permanent hearing loss and a titanium plate in her head, seemed a dramatic departure from how Oliver had led his life, at least according to letters of support given to Boynton before Wednesday's hearing.

Until the assault, Oliver had worked as a computer scientist at NIH, the prestigious research institution in Bethesda. He practiced Transcendental Meditation, taught free computer programming classes in the inner city and volunteered with anti-hunger organizations.

"Your Honor," former colleague John Knight wrote, "Tim has lived an idealistic, non-violent life of service up to and since the incident."

Knight wrote movingly about Oliver's widowed mother, who suffers from progressing glaucoma, is nearly deaf and is visited at her home every day by her only son, where they share a sandwich for lunch and spend the afternoon shopping, running errands or going to her medical appointments.

"They get home in time for the evening news," Knight wrote.

In handing down his sentence, Boynton said he was recognizing Oliver's previous kind acts and lack of a criminal record, saying the prison term otherwise probably would have been longer. But the judge stressed how violent and senseless the act was.

"You hit her in the head with a hammer over an accident," Boynton told Oliver. "You obviously have some pretty serious issues in terms of your ability to control your conduct."

Last year, Oliver pleaded guilty to felony assault in the case, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors to drop an attempted murder charge.

Earlier: Oliver pleads guilty in hammer attack ^[2]

In court Wednesday, prosecutor Sherri Koch described what happened. On the night of Aug. 4, 2014, Oliver's roommate called him and said his dog, Teddy, had been hit by a car. He met her at a veterinary clinic, where Teddy was pronounced dead. Oliver brought Teddy's body home. After the roommate also returned to the apartment, Oliver attacked her.

"She was then dragged, by the defendant, covered with blood, in a sleeping bag, and dragged out of the apartment," Koch said, adding that he put her cat out, as well. "And he left her there to die."

A neighbor later saw her outside and called 911, Koch said.

Oliver's attorney, Rebecca Nitkin, said the victim was not asleep at the time of the attack — and that in a letter to the judge, the victim said she did not want Oliver to be incarcerated.

"He doesn't know what to do with his mother," the victim wrote, "and he isn't the kind of person who is comfortable with people. He is very private and values contact with only a couple of close friends."

Before handing down his sentence, Boynton asked Oliver if he had anything to say.

"I have no statement to make," Oliver said.

"Okay," Boynton said. "Are you sure?"

"I feel horrible about the whole thing," Oliver said. "I wish it had never happened. I can't imagine doing something like that. But it happened, and that's about all I can say."