A woman in Ventura County, California got nothing more than a slap on the wrist — despite being convicted of fatally stabbing her boyfriend more than 100 times during a cannabis-induced psychotic episode!
According to KTLA, 32-year-old Bryn Spejcher went to the apartment of her 26-year-old boyfriend Chad O’Melia, whom she had only been dating for a few weeks, on May 27, 2018. While hanging out together, the couple took several hits from a marijuana-filled bong. Authorities said she soon suffered a bad reaction to the weed, experiencing a psychotic break called Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder. And it was during the episode that Spejcher stabbed Chad 108 times with three different knives, eventually killing him. She also stabbed herself multiple times, law enforcement stated.
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When officers arrived at the apartment the following morning, they came across a scene straight out of a horror film. They discovered Chad in a pool of blood and Spejcher hysterically screaming while holding a knife in her hands. Police attempted to disarm her. However, authorities said Spejcher rammed the knife into her own, adding:
“Officers used a taser and several baton blows before they were able to finally disarm Spejcher. A long-serrated bread knife was taken from her hands.”
Chad was pronounced dead at the scene. Spejcher, who had been out on bail since the murder, was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter last month. She faced up to four years in prison along with sentence enhancement. However, in an outcome no one could have predicted, the judge sentenced Spejcher to two years of felony probation and 100 hours of community service — but zero prison time. You read that right. She brutally stabbed the victim 108 times and will not be behind bars! As we mentioned before, she essentially got a slap on the wrist for the grisly crime. If Spejcher violates her probation, though, the judge said she will have to do four years of prison time.
The reasoning behind the sentence decision? In addition to expert testimony and evidence, the judge felt the 32-year-old did not know marijuana would have a severe adverse effect on her when she smoked weed with Chad that day over five years ago. KTLA Legal Analyst Alison Triessl further explained:
“He took into account her lack of criminal record, her professional standing in the community and that she did in fact suffer from severe psychosis at the time killing and really did not know what she was doing.”
Hmm. The O’Melia family are (understandably) enraged by the outcome. More than that, they are concerned about the overall impact of the ruling. Sean O’Melia told KTLA:
“I think he set an absolute terrible precedent in the state of California where it’s okay to kill somebody after you smoke marijuana.”
We cannot imagine how hard this ruling must be on the family. Thoughts on the sentence? Sound OFF in the comments below!
[Image via Ventura County District Attorney’s Office]
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