SoCal woman who killed boyfriend, stabbed dog and herself during weed-induced psychosis gets probation
01/24/2024 3:17 pm PST
VENTURA, Calif. (TCD) -- A 32-year-old woman will not face prison time after she was convicted last month of stabbing a man she was dating to death during a weed-induced psychosis that was caused by an "adverse reaction" to marijuana she and the victim had been smoking.
The Ventura County Star reports a judge ordered Bryn Spejcher to two years of probation for stabbing 26-year-old Chad O’Melia over 100 times and also turning the knife on herself and a dog. She must also fulfill 100 hours of community service and raise awareness about the condition, which is medically known as cannabis-induced psychotic disorder. The judge reportedly said the sentencing decision was largely in part due to expert testimony from doctors who confirmed Spejcher was suffering from the psychosis at the time of the attack.
Spejcher and O’Melia started dating a few weeks prior to the stabbing. She went to his residence on the night of May 27, 2018, and they took hits out of a bong. She had the bad reaction to the marijuana, then started stabbing him. Law enforcement officials arrived at O’Melia’s house in the early hours of May 28, where they found "Mr. O’Melia in a pool of blood and Spejcher screaming hysterically with a knife still in her hands."
Officers tried to stop her, but she "plunged the knife into her own neck."
Police ultimately deployed a Taser and used a baton to get the serrated bread knife out of her hands.
The Los Angeles Times reports after Spejcher smoked, she started "hearing and seeing things that weren’t there." She reportedly was convinced she was dead, so she stabbed O’Melia as a way to resuscitate herself.
She said, "I wish I could go back in time and prevent this tragedy from happening."
According to the Ventura County Star, O’Melia’s father said after the verdict, "He just gave everyone in the state of California who smokes marijuana a license to kill someone."
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