The California woman convicted of stabbing her boyfriend to death 108 times during a “marijuana-induced psychosis” received a slap on the wrist Tuesday for the brutal murder.
Bryn Spejcher, 33, was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service after being found guilty of killing her new boyfriend, Chad O’Melia, according to the Ventura County Star.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley ruled that Spejcher “had no control over his actions” when he entered a psychotic episode and stabbed O’Melia, 26, 108 times in a Thousand Oaks apartment on May 28, 2018.
Prosecution and defense experts both found that the marijuana bong shots administered to Spejcher threw the woman into a fatal psychotic episode.
“Since then, he has had no control over his actions,” Worley said, according to the outlet.
Bryn Spejcher was found guilty in December 2023 of involuntary manslaughter for killing her new boyfriend, Chad O’Melia, in May 2018. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
Spejcher and O’Melia had been seeing each other for several weeks before he brutally murdered the 26-year-old accountant.
After Spejcher killed O’Melia, law enforcement found the woman covered in blood, crying hysterically next to her boyfriend’s body, still clutching a knife.
He then plunged a knife to his throat when police tried to disarm him.
Chad O’Melia had only been seeing Spejcher for a few weeks before he killed her after smoking pot in her apartment. Facebook
Spejcher, who turned 33 last Thursday, also stabbed his dog during the rampage, according to the outlet.
O’Melia was pronounced dead at the scene.
Spejcher’s attorneys argued that their client — who was an inexperienced pot smoker — became “accidentally intoxicated” at the time of the killing after O’Melia pressured him to take another bong hit after missing the first one, the outlet reported. in December.
Bryn Spejcher with his attorney at the Ventura County Government Center, Hall of Justice, courtroom 47 on Thursday, Nov. 9. 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK A jury took less than four hours to find Spejcher guilty of involuntary manslaughter during his December 2023 case. Ventura County District Attorney’s Office
He had an immediate bad reaction to the second shot and had to go to the bathroom in a panic before committing the murder.
Under California law, a person is held responsible for their actions when under the influence of drugs or alcohol unless their intoxication was accidental.
It took a jury less than four hours to find Spejcher guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
During Tuesday’s sentencing, Spejcher sobbed in court as she apologized to the victim’s father, Sean O’Melia.
Spejcher reacts when a jury finds him guilty of murder on Dec. 1, 2023. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK Spejcher’s family members hug outside court after he was sentenced only to community service and probation. KTLA
“My actions have torn your family apart,” he said, according to the outlet. “I’m broken and hurt inside. I’m heartbroken because you never saw Chad again.”
Spejcher, who was painted as a party girl who just wanted to get high the night she killed O’Melia by the prosecution, was portrayed in a different light by her father during the sentencing hearing.
“She’s worked her whole life to help other people,” said Mike Spejcher, who also posted about his daughter’s hearing impairment and her work as a licensed audiologist before the murder.
Chad O’Melia’s father, Sean O’Melia, accused Worley of bias in his decision. YouTube/KHTS news
Chad O’Melia’s father, Sean, accused Worley of bias and claimed the judge set a dangerous precedent with his decision.
“He just gave everyone in the state of California who smokes weed a license to kill somebody,” the grieving father said.
“There are no winners in this tragedy,” said Brendan O’Melia, the victim’s uncle. “However, there can be accountability.”
Spejcher’s attorney, Bob Schwartz, called Judge Worley’s decision against his client “the right and courageous thing to do.”
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