364
submitted 2 years ago by ZeroCool@feddit.ch to c/news@lemmy.world

A man who killed and ate a man has been released back into public life after ten years.

Tyree Smith, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, killed a homeless man and then ate his brain and eyeballs according to officials.

The horrific case made headline news, with Smith found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after a July 2013 trial.

In lieu of a stint behind bars, Smith was ordered committed to a state psychiatric hospital for 60 years.

But now, ten years after the grim incident, the state Psychiatric Security Review Board said Smith was ready to be transitioned back into the community.

Smith has been released from the facility, Connecticut’s most secure, as of writing.

He will be living in a Waterbury group home, and is not allowed to associate with anyone involved in criminal activity.

The board stated in its report: “Tyree Smith is an individual with a psychiatric illness requiring care, custody and treatment.

“Since his last hearing Tyree Smith has continued to demonstrate clinical stability.

“Mr. Smith is medication compliant, actively engaged in all recommended forms of treatment, and has been symptom-free for many years.”

During the trial, Smith’s cousin Nicole Rabb claimed he arrived at her Connecticut home in December 2011, talking about Greek gods and ruminating about needing to go out and get blood.

When she saw him the next evening she noticed what appeared to be specks of blood on his pants and that he was carrying chopsticks and a bloody ax.

Smith then allegedly told Rabb he killed a man and ate his brains in the Lakeview Cemetery while drinking sake, and grimly warned he intended to eat more people.

A month later, police found Angel Gonzalez's mutilated body in the vacant apartment on Brooks Street in Bridgeport where Smith had lived as a child.

Police later recovered the bloody ax and an empty bottle of sake in a stream bed near the Boston Avenue cemetery.

The defense's case rested on the testimony of Yale University psychiatrist Dr. Reena Kapoor, who testified that Smith had kept his lust for human flesh after his arrest, even offering to eat her.

Kapoor claimed Smith suffered from psychotic incidents since childhood and heard voices that told him to kill people.

She then said the voices ordered Smith to eat the victim's brain so they would get a better understanding of human behavior and the eyes so that they could see into the "spirit realm."

Kapoor added that Smith went to Subway after eating the man's body parts.

The report on Smith’s release said: “He denied experiencing cravings but stated that if they were to arise, he would reach out to his hospital and community supports and providers.”

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] RealFknNito@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

I've said it 3 times in other threads on this same post but I'll make it four since apparently I didn't say it on this one. Manslaughter isn't the same. I'm talking about premeditated, malicious intent to rob someone from their family and loved ones. Those people are beyond redemption. Beyond correction. They should not get a second chance.

[-] Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 years ago

Yes, so the cannibal does not belong in prison as you say. There was no premeditated, malicious intent. How could there be, if you're not in the right mind.

Not seeing that is the big issue here.

[-] RealFknNito@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

That's unusual. So because they didn't choose the mental illness, they're absolved of the effects it has? So really the only thing drunk drivers are at fault for is the first drink. After that, they can't be held responsible. "Not in the right mind" as you say.

[-] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

You're right that the drunk driver is only responsible for the first drink. The first drink is what caused the accident in the first place. What happened to manslaughter isn't murder anyways? That drunk driver very much chose to drink that night and didn't take measure to stop themselves from doing something dangerous, which justifies a manslaughter charge, like getting a ride to the bar.

That's very different from someone being mentally ill and absolutely unable to control when those voices start screaming in their head to kill someone.

[-] RealFknNito@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

But hey that first drink isn't illegal, it's everything they did after they're 'mentally impaired' so they shouldn't be held responsible for the second drink or getting behind the wheel. It wasn't their choice, right? This line of logic is deeply flawed. If we expect people who are drunk to take measures not to harm others in spite of their mental impairment, we should expect the same for the mentally ill.

[-] BluJay320 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You keep using those words… “premeditated” and “malicious intent”…

Do you… understand mental illness at all?

[-] CoderKat@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

By nature of successfully being considered legally insane (which is not easy to do), he doesn't have malicious intent, though. Not in the eyes of the law. By being not in the right mind, it's as if it wasn't actually him that committed the crime.

We should be making decisions based on facts, not emotions. It's easy for a horrible crime to make us feel "what the fuck, he should rot in prison". But ask yourself why the insanity defense even exists if not to allow seriously ill people to be helped.

this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2023
364 points (100.0% liked)

News

36086 readers
3192 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, blogs, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS