A California woman who got high and went into a marijuana-induced psychosis, stabbed her boyfriend 108 times and then decapitated herself when police tried to stop her, will not serve any prison time, a judge has ruled.
In December, jurors found Bryn Speccher, 32, of Ventura County, guilty of manslaughter for stabbing her boyfriend, Chad O'Melia, 108 times while high on marijuana. did.
Prosecutors said the stabbing occurred overnight on May 27 and 28, 2018, at O'Melia's apartment in Thousand Oaks.
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On Friday, December 1, 2023, Bryn Specher reacts after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter in the 2018 marijuana-induced death of Chad O'Melia. Jurors deliberated for less than a day and returned their verdict in the afternoon. (Anthony Plasencia/The Star/USA Today Network)
“Both individuals were struck several times with bongs loaded with marijuana,” the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. “Speicher had an adverse reaction to marijuana and was suffering from what experts call 'marijuana-induced psychosis.'”
State mental health experts reportedly determined that O'Melia was stabbed dozens of times, rendering her “unconscious.” When police arrived, she stabbed her dog and turned the knife on herself.
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Prosecutors say Bryn Speccher, pictured in a Ventura County booking photo, stabbed herself in the neck while police tried to arrest her for the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Chad O'Melia. As a result, he has a scar on his neck. She was found guilty of manslaughter in December and sentenced to no jail time this week. (Ventura County District Attorney)
According to District Attorney Eric Nasarenko's office, “In the early morning hours of May 28, 2018, law enforcement arrived at the apartment to find Mr. O'Melia covered in a pool of blood and Speer screaming hysterically with a knife in his hand. I found Hya.”
“Before law enforcement could disarm her, Ms. Speicher held a knife to her own neck,” prosecutors said in a statement after the conviction. “Officers used a Taser and struck Speicher several times with a baton before finally disarming him.”
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Chief Deputy District Attorney Audrey Nafziger addresses the jury in the manslaughter trial of Bryn Speicher on November 9, 2023. Speicher, who was convicted, was sentenced Tuesday. (Juan Carlo/The Star/USA Today Network)
thousand oaks acorn, local paperit was reported in the fall that the original murder charge against Speicher was reduced to manslaughter after protests from O'Melia's family, citing the presence of a “cannabis-induced psychotic disorder.”
The change occurred days before the trial was to begin, according to court records.
Sean O'Melia, right, chats with other protesters during a demonstration the day before Tuesday's sentencing of Bryn Speccher, who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Sean O'Melia, her son Chad. There is. (Tom Kisken/The Star/USA Today Network)
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The victim's father, Sean O'Melia, wrote in a letter to county leaders that “this case must be judged on the basis of the fact that it was a murder.” “It wasn't some kind of accident.”
The reduced charges also sparked protests outside the courthouse, with demonstrators holding signs in support of O'Melia's family and demanding serious punishment from Judge David Walley during Tuesday's hearing.
The court ultimately sentenced him to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service.
