Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2013 beating death

A 54-year-old Morgan City man pleaded guilty last week to manslaughter after being accused of beating a man to death with a guitar.

Keith Allen Murphy, 54, of Morgan City, pleaded guilty in the August 2013 beating death of Robert Michael Gasek, 57, at a Clements Street home, according to Assistant District Attorney Anthony Saleme. Murphy appeared before Judge Paul deMahy and is set to be sentenced Feb. 3.

Murphy had been indicted in 2013 on the charge of second-degree murder.

According to an affidavit, on Aug. 15, 2013, Morgan City police responded to a possible homicide in the 2300 block of Clements Street.

Police located an unresponsive man identified as Gasek, lying on the couch inside the home, the affidavit said. Gasek was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators learned that Gasek had allegedly been struck in the head with a guitar. Police had received two calls earlier that morning about disturbances at the home. The second caller said that a man had come to his home and said that the man believed another man was dead, the affidavit said.

When officers arrived, Murphy was seated on the front steps of the home. Murphy stated that he was responsible for the death of the man inside the home, the affidavit said.

Inside the home, Gasek had what appeared to be blood on his face, and “several, small blood spatters” were on the wall above where Gasek’s head rested, the affidavit said.

An electric guitar was rested upright against the base of the couch. Police found blood on the body of guitar and pick-guard.

Gasek’s face appeared to have received blunt trauma, and a large part of his face had blood on it, the affidavit said.
At the police department, Murphy told a detective that he struck Gasek in the head with a guitar. Murphy allegedly did so after getting into an argument about Gasek tuning the guitar.

Murphy further told police that he had recently been released Aug. 12, 2013, from Fairview Treatment Center for substance abuse, and began to stay with Gasek at Gasek’s home on Clements Street. Murphy planned to stay there until he could move back in with his wife on Bush Street.

While Murphy was in treatment, Murphy stated that Gasek had asked Murphy’s wife for $20, but she refused, the affidavit said.
Since that time, Murphy stated that Gasek had “a chip on his shoulder” and had been rude to Murphy and spoke ill of his wife, the affidavit said.

Murphy stated that he had gotten tired of Gasek’s comments and attitude toward him. Therefore, when Gasek continued that behavior Aug. 14, 2013, Murphy struck Gasek in the face with a guitar, the affidavit said.

Murphy explained that that evening he and Gasek had been drinking beer and Gasek told him to tune Gasek’s guitar “in a berating manner,” the affidavit said.
Murphy did so and handed the guitar back to Gasek, at which time Gasek strummed the guitar and told Murphy that Murphy didn’t know how to tune a guitar. Murphy stated that Gasek then tossed the guitar back at him.

At that time, Murphy grabbed the guitar and swung it at Gasek, striking him in the face.
Gasek began to sway forward and fall to the ground, though Murphy stated that Gasek appeared to be steadying himself to get back up, the affidavit said.

Murphy swung the guitar again, striking Gasek in the face a second time. Murphy said Gasek appeared to still be breathing, and Murphy moved him so that he was lying across the couch facing the seat back.

When Gasek appeared to stop breathing, Murphy said he left the home to try to clear his head about what happened. He later called his wife and told her what he’d done and then told a neighbor what had occurred and to call the police, the affidavit said.

In October 2015, a sanity commission had found Murphy capable of proceeding to trial, according to court records.