Marblehead man suspected in 2009 Salem murder to rely on mental impairment defense

SALEM – The defense in the murder trial of Peter S. Ronchi, charged with stabbing his nine-month pregnant girlfriend to death in her Salem apartment in 2009, is going to rely on a mental impairment defense.In Salem Superior Court Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Jean M. Curran told Judge Timothy Q. Feeley that defense lawyer David J. Nathanson has filed notice of mental impairment for the defense.She went on to explain she would need time to refine her motion to see which avenue she will now pursue and, in addition, she does not have an expert yet for the case.Curran now is expected to have her own medical expert examine Ronchi to provide testimony for the state at the upcoming trial, scheduled for the end of January.Nathanson also told Feeley he is still waiting for the testing process involving saliva samples sent to the state lab for examination.The judge agreed to continue the case to Nov. 30 for compliance and status on the case.Later, Nathanson explained his defense in a telephone conversation, saying that he believes that at the time of the incident Ronchi was mentally impaired and “not capable for the intent necessary for malice.” He therefore intends to rely at the trial on his expert witness Dr. Judith Edersheim, a Boston psychiatrist, to testify as to Ronchi?s mental status at the time of the incident.Ronchi, 47, who last lived at 10 Taft St. and worked as a massage therapist, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the May 16, 2009 stabbing death of his 42-year-old girlfriend, Yuliya Galperina, and her unborn son.She was stabbed more than 15 times inside her apartment at 12 Pope St., Unit 512B, at the Salem Heights complex in Salem.Her body was found that morning by her two older children when they awoke.Investigators have a complex video reportedly showing Ronchi entering the complex carrying a 6-inch hunting knife and leaving the premises in different clothing.After leaving the apartment, Ronchi went back to his home in Marblehead and then drove to Norwalk, Conn. where he eventually turned himself in to police and allegedly made a series of incriminating statements about the murder.In one statement to police, Ronchi reportedly said he had killed Galperina because, “She told me I wasn?t the father of the child she was carrying. I lost it. I stabbed her.”Ronchi and Galperina had a two-year relationship, according to reports.Curran has said at trial she will pursue a premeditated theory in the murder case which was carried out with both extreme atrocity and cruelty.Ronchi had pleaded innocent to both indictments. He currently remains held without bail at the Middleton Jail pending the outcome of his trial.A conviction on each of the two indictments carries a life sentence in state prison with no chance of ever being paroled.