A psychologist who has guided a Brevard County judge accused of punching a public defender through anger management says it took a "perfect storm" of events to cause Judge John Murphy to react the way he did in court on June 2, 2014.

That "perfect storm" led to the confrontation with public defender Andrew Weinstock in the hallway outside the courtroom.

Judge Murphy voluntarily chose to undergo anger management sessions in the days after the fight with Weinstock.

Testifying Tuesday at Murphy's state ethics hearing, psychologist Mike Ronsisvalle said the judge was very humble during those sessions, and had a positive attitude to try and figure out his anger issues that triggered the courtroom incident.

The doctor added that the "perfect storm" of events that led up to Murphy's outburst and the altercation included the judge being exhausted after a long trip, the recent death of Murphy's father, and a February 2014 incident involving courthouse gunman that locked down the entire Brevard County Courthouse. The gunman, later identified as Robert Striffler, was shot and killed, but his weapon turned out to be an airsoft pistol.

Ronsisvalle said Judge Murphy took Weistock's courtroom demeanor that day in June as confrontational.

"The public defender, in his [Murphy's] mind, was blocking his ability to do his job," Ronsisvalle testified Tuesday. "He saw him as incompetent and rude, and not able to follow through with what needed to happen."

The psychologist said he believes Judge Murphy knows his behavior that day was inappropriate, adding he would be OK to return to the bench.

Both the judge and public defender have told different stories, each claiming he was the one attacked in the courtroom hallway.

It could be weeks or even months before the panel of judges and attorneys overseeing this misconduct case could make a decision on Murphy's fate.