Alleged spree killer's case grinds to halt over mental health questions
The AdvocateSep 27, 2017
In a ruling last week,
The judge sent Berryhill, 23, back to the state hospital in
That decision is only the latest stumbling block on the path to trial for Berryhill, who was arrested at age 16 in
When authorities unfurled a 19-count indictment against Berryhill in
The seemingly random crimes sent fear racing through
Police said Berryhill started with an aggravated burglary, second-degree kidnapping and two aggravated rapes in the 1400 block of
They said he then committed three killings within a span of hours on
Berryhill was also accused in the
If convicted as charged, Berryhill does not face an automatic sentence of life without parole, the normal penalty for second-degree murder. Because he was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, he could present evidence about his mental health in a bid to make himself one day eligible for release.
But prosecutors have never come close to putting Berryhill on trial. The tone for years of court proceedings was set by a
The next year, a
In
Court records suggest that Berryhill remained at the hospital until
Even as Berryhill's criminal case sputtered back to life, however, questions remained about his mental state before and after his arrest.
In July of this year, his defense attorneys at the Orleans Public Defenders made a motion to quash his two statements to police on the grounds that he did not understand his right against self-incrimination. Meanwhile, a doctor who testified for his defense said she suspected that he would be unable to assist his lawyers at a trial.
Dr.
Since his arrest, he has received psychotropic medications for previously undiagnosed schizophrenia.
The doctor said that in a battery of tests last year, Berryhill read at the level of a 9-year-old, spoke at the level of a 6-year-old and listened at the level of an 8-year-old. He had an IQ level of 66.
The doctor said that most troubling for the defense, Berryhill appeared to have a limited understanding of the accusations against him. She added that he failed to grasp his potential way of avoiding a life sentence -- a plea deal with prosecutors.
Berryhill received the undisclosed plea offer from the
Luscher said Berryhill told her he rejected the plea deal because "I will go home."
She said he "did not appear to appreciate the seriousness of the charges against him or realistic outcomes that could result."
Luscher said that in combination with his schizophrenia, his mental disability prevented him from being able to assist his attorneys in his defense.
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