The attorney for the California woman who avoided jail time after stabbing her boyfriend 108 times in a marijuana-induced psychotic episode has revealed that she used a type of drug with a THC level of more than 30% — far higher than the average dose.
Bryn Spejcher, 33, was using a strain of marijuana with 31.8% THC when she stabbed her boyfriend, Chad O’Melia, to death in 2018, her attorney said.
“The ‘marijuana-induced psychosis’ defense is based primarily on the testimony of both renowned psychiatrist Dr. William Wirshing and prosecution expert Dr. Kris Mohandie,” his attorney Michael Goldstein told Fox News.
The strain has a warning label indicating it is for “High Tolerance Users Only” — as its THC content exceeds the average between 18 and 24%
Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley ruled that Spejcher “had no control over his actions” in the involuntary manslaughter case.
“The defense presented in court was not a ‘con job’ as some have described it,” Goldstein said.
The attorney for a California woman who avoided prison time after stabbing her boyfriend more than 100 times during a psychotic episode said the defense was not a “con job.” JUAN CARLO/THE STAR/USA TODAY NETWORK
While unconscious, Spejcher also stabbed her dog and then herself repeatedly after deputies were called to their apartment.
Wirshing and Mohandie were among four experts whose work was cited in the trial who said Spejcher’s violence was “unpredictable” and “unpredictable,” Goldstein said.
Spejcher had smoked weed less than half a dozen times before the fatal stabbing.
Spejcher stabbed him in the neck 43 times after deputies arrived on the scene. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
His attorney was asked to explain the difference in his case and the fatal drunken driving accident, which Goldstein noted, noting that Spejcher didn’t know what he was getting into because O’Melia prepared the pot but didn’t show him the warning on the label.
“In terms of DUI, the person knowingly and knowingly drank excessively and decided to get behind the wheel of the car,” he said. “In Ms. Spejcher’s case, she destroyed what she believed to be a legitimate consumer product in the sanctity of Mr. O’Melia’s home as they sat on his sofa with no intention of returning home that evening.”
Goldstein described O’Melia as a “well-documented, experienced and chronic high-potential marijuana user.”
Spejcher avoided prison time, instead receiving only 100 hours of community service and two years of probation. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK
“That comes with responsibility. With that information, Ms. Spejcher can make an informed decision and this tragedy can be avoided,” he added.
Outside court, O’Melia’s father, Sean O’Melia, said the system had “totally failed” his son. After being convicted by a jury of involuntary manslaughter, Spejcher received only two years of probation, 100 hours of community service and no jail time.
“The judge didn’t do his job,” Sean O’Melia said. “He did not do what he was responsible for.”
Marijuana is legal in California for prescribed drug users over the age of 18 and for recreational users over the age of 21.
“Ms. Spejcher is disappointed and sorry for what happened to Chad,” Goldstein said. “He will no longer live a normal life and his medical license and ability to help other deaf people is at risk.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
