By now, many valley residents have heard the news story about the man in Phoenix accused of beheading his wife, as well as severing his own arm and removing his eyeball. It is a gruesome story, with a confusing backstory.
Both husband and wife had pasts that involved long stays at the Arizona State Hospital. The husband served a 10.5 year sentence at the hospital rather than go to prison for the attempted murder of his mother. The wife served a 10.5 year sentence at the hospital rather than go to prison for stabbing her teenage son while he slept. The couple had many interactions with police officers over the years, and many mental-health interventions. In the two months prior to the beheading, police had been called to the couple’s apartment five times, to investigate suspected drug use and violence. Two of the calls had been made by the suspect.
During police questioning, the suspect admitted to killing his wife and mutilating himself, yet the officer interviewing the man said that the majority of the interview was “delusional” talking, and that most of the interview didn’t make much sense.
Mental-health advocates are continually questioning Arizona’s treatment of mentally ill residents, and are now questioning whether both husband and wife should have been released into the community when they were. Currently, there is a big push toward community-based services, rather than just impatient services. Community based services focus on special housing, job training, life-skills training, and support from peers and family. For individuals dealing with serious mental illness, impatient services are not always enough. Careful screenings could also help determine when individuals receiving inpatient treatment for mental illness are ready to return to the community, or if they are not ready.
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