One drawback to working outdoors
This blog post examines a true landscape crime story from 1983, but to set it up properly, I have to mention bathroom breaks. So bear with me and keep reading.
Green industry workers spend most of their time outdoors, and access to proper washrooms can be a headache. Some large multi-family sites have clubhouses for hired help to use. And some sites provide portables, discreetly surrounded by hedging and maintained weekly.
It gets worse when you work in residential maintenance.
David Garabedian
Now, let’s go back to 1983 and meet a 23-year-old David Garabedian, a recent college graduate. He was working as a landscaper in Massachusetts, USA, and that’s how he found himself cleaning up a yard for 34-year-old Eileen Muldoon on March 29, 1983. Eileen was trying to surprise her husband for his birthday by having the yard professionally cleaned up. So far, so good. But then David had to answer nature’s call.
Escalation to tragedy
So, David had to go, and he relieved himself in Eileen’s backyard garden. Unfortunately, she saw him and confronted him about it. Personally, I’ve never been confronted about this issue, but during my twenty-seven seasons as a landscape pro, I’ve had my share of close calls. Still, if you have to go, you have to go. You can complain, you can get me fired, but I still have to go.
David and Eileen’s confrontation escalated sharply as David used his hands to strangle Eileen. Then he removed the string from his hoodie and strangled the woman a second time. But the final act was brutal. David dismantled the poor woman’s garden wall and smashed her skull in with a rock. Then he walked away.
Diminished capacity
Eventually, the case went to court, and David’s defence rested on his claim of “diminished capacity”. He argued that leading up to the March 29 incident, he had been spraying chemicals daily, and it affected him negatively.
Now, in 1983, this sort of defence sounded strange. In 2026, I think you could argue this better because we have more knowledge and data on chemicals. But it still looks like second-degree murder.
The Massachusetts jury didn’t buy it and sentenced David to life in prison.
Just last week, I did an online search for incarcerated Americans, and it looks like David is still doing time in Gardner, Massachusetts. I sent him a letter hoping to see how he’s doing and to ask him questions, but I doubt he’ll reply.
I have no idea why this story has stuck with me. Maybe it’s because I relieve myself in all sorts of places, and it doesn’t feel like a big issue. It shouldn’t leave clients dead and landscapers doing life in prison.
