Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2024 5:56:43 GMT -5
A Thousand Oaks woman who faced the prospect of life in prison if convicted of the stabbing death of a man she was dating was sentenced Tuesday to two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service after arguing that she was on a cannabis-induced psychosis during the killing.
Authorities responded to a Thousand Oaks apartment on May 27, 2018, and found that Bryn Spejcher, 32, had stabbed Chad O’Melia, 26, dozens of times, then turned the knife on herself and her dog. She was arrested on suspicion of murder and charged with that offense.
But in an extraordinary turn of events last year, a prosecutor’s medical expert agreed with a defense expert for Spejcher that the behavior was the result of cannabis-induced psychosis, which she suffered after taking hits from the victim’s bong.
The expert conducted what prosecutors characterized as tests that showed she was not exaggerating or faking her behavior that day. Prosecutors opted to reduce the charge to involuntary manslaughter with a series of enhancements.
That decision came after psychologist Kris Mohandie, a consultant for law enforcement, examined Spejcher, her interviews with law enforcement and police body-camera footage and produced a 37-page report that concluded she had lost touch with reality due to highly potent marijuana.
After four hours of deliberation, a jury in December found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter — a charge that can carry a four-year prison sentence.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley, however, opted to sentence her to 100 hours of community service in the form of educating others on marijuana-induced psychosis and two years of formal probation
Authorities responded to a Thousand Oaks apartment on May 27, 2018, and found that Bryn Spejcher, 32, had stabbed Chad O’Melia, 26, dozens of times, then turned the knife on herself and her dog. She was arrested on suspicion of murder and charged with that offense.
But in an extraordinary turn of events last year, a prosecutor’s medical expert agreed with a defense expert for Spejcher that the behavior was the result of cannabis-induced psychosis, which she suffered after taking hits from the victim’s bong.
The expert conducted what prosecutors characterized as tests that showed she was not exaggerating or faking her behavior that day. Prosecutors opted to reduce the charge to involuntary manslaughter with a series of enhancements.
That decision came after psychologist Kris Mohandie, a consultant for law enforcement, examined Spejcher, her interviews with law enforcement and police body-camera footage and produced a 37-page report that concluded she had lost touch with reality due to highly potent marijuana.
After four hours of deliberation, a jury in December found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter — a charge that can carry a four-year prison sentence.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley, however, opted to sentence her to 100 hours of community service in the form of educating others on marijuana-induced psychosis and two years of formal probation