Republican lawmakers in Connecticut have condemned the decision to release Tyree Smith, a man found not guilty by reason of insanity for a 2012 hatchet murder and cannibalism, from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. Smith was ordered to be confined for 60 years in 2013 after killing Angel Gonzalez, whose mutilated body was discovered in a Bridgeport apartment. Smith's cousin testified that he admitted to eating part of Gonzalez's brain and an eyeball while drinking sake.
During a hearing before the state's Psychiatric Security Review Board, Gonzalez's sister-in-law, Talitha Frazier, expressed fears that Smith might be hiding his mental illness. “How do we really know he’s not going to do this again?” she asked. GOP lawmakers Heather Somers, Paul Cicarella, Henri Martin, and Stephen Harding called the decision “mind-boggling” and “outrageous,” stating it jeopardises public safety and sends a terrible message to victims of violent crime.
Despite opposition, the board granted Smith conditional release after a psychiatrist testified that his schizophrenia and substance abuse disorders were in full remission due to medication and treatment. The conditional release means Smith will live in a community setting under supervision, with strict conditions including continued treatment. He has already been staying full-time at a community facility with around-the-clock supervision for the past nine months. Friday's decision formally discharged him from the hospital.
Smith attended the hearing virtually with his lawyer but was not shown on video screens due to safety concerns related to media coverage, his lawyer said.
