GUILTY MN - Maris Miles, 68, decapitated in hatchet attack, Burnsville, 30 Dec 2005

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_003141418.html


(AP) Hastings, Minn. A man charged with decapitating his stepmother had been turned away from mental health treatment just hours before her death.

Stephen Miles, 23, of Eagan, Minn., was charged Tuesday with killing Maris Jo Miles, 68, of Burnsville, Minn. According to the complaint, he struck her in the head with a hatchet in her kitchen, cut off her head with a knife, and then told his father what he had done.

That's really sad that they wouldn't take him into the mental health facility. I see his defense now, not guilty by reason of insanity. Truly sad.

I wonder why the husband didnt just take the young man and leave when the step mom asked them to. It's another thing that may have saved her life. Of course, if this young man was homicidal, he may have just killed his dad instead. Or whoever was in his path. It's truly a bizzare story.

From the same article:

"Even psychiatrists who have been working with a patient cannot predict when a person is going to be violent," said Sandra Meicher, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Minnesota. "It may be that the family member has a pretty good sense of what is going to happen. But a third party (may not). Professionals don't like guessing."

I understand that no one can predict what may happen, but shouldn't they at least try to keep everyone around this person safe?

GreenEyedGirl said:

I understand that no one can predict what may happen, but shouldn't they at least try to keep everyone around this person safe?

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Yes they should have done more to keep him and his family safe. Working with people who have a mental illness, this guy is a classic case of schizophrenia to me. He needed help a long time before this ever happened.

Also, while I believe no one should ever be murdered.....in the article it states that the woman was upset. She could have provoked him in some way while the father was shoveling snow. Knowing his vulnerable state of mind, she could have said something harsh to him. Nonetheless, someone...somewhere along the way should have intervened medically with this guy. :twocents:

MrsMush99 said:

That's really sad that they wouldn't take him into the mental health facility. I see his defense now, not guilty by reason of insanity. Truly sad.

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I have a nephew who is mentally ill. Truly, really mentally ill. sometimes "not guilty by reason of insanity" is right. NOT often, but sometimes

This guy was found to be insane and is in a locked psych facility.

"In the squad car, asked if he understood why he was being arrested, Miles told police, "Because I voted for Fidel Castro." He asked if he'd be shot by firing squad and wondered aloud how much of his brain was water."

"Interviewed again later, he said he decapitated his stepmother because she was very sad and "I wanted her not to feel like (expletive)." He said he put her head in the dishwasher to "get her clean," according to court records.
He later said he did not know she was dead and did not believe removing her head would kill her, and the head could be reattached with stitches. "She might have been surprised," he said. "I don't think her head had ever been separated from her body before.""

That ^, is true insanity.
http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/trial-procedure-judges/14012625-1.html

I want to preface this by saying that I don't know all the details of this tragic situation----but why not go to a hospital emergency room for help?? I can only speak for my city, but we have a number of hospitals (particularly Harborview and the U.W.) that will not only hold someone like this but quickly have the patient seen by the Psychiatrist on-call as well as specially-trained crisis social workers. I wish there were more options available to everyone in crisis and that emergency rooms were more transparent about how they can truly help. JMO.....as the daughter of an emergency room nurse.

wow... *thud*

i'm absolutely speechless - what a tragedy.

It's sad that something like this has to happen to bring to light that there just isn't enough resources and support for people suffering from mental illness.

I don't understand it - Or will i probably ever will.

But having read about this makes me feel a great deal of sympathy, that poor father it sounds like he needed assistance long before this happened...

just... wow

buffetoflies said:

This guy was found to be insane and is in a locked psych facility.

"In the squad car, asked if he understood why he was being arrested, Miles told police, "Because I voted for Fidel Castro." He asked if he'd be shot by firing squad and wondered aloud how much of his brain was water."

"Interviewed again later, he said he decapitated his stepmother because she was very sad and "I wanted her not to feel like (expletive)." He said he put her head in the dishwasher to "get her clean," according to court records.
He later said he did not know she was dead and did not believe removing her head would kill her, and the head could be reattached with stitches. "She might have been surprised," he said. "I don't think her head had ever been separated from her body before.""

That ^, is true insanity.
http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/trial-procedure-judges/14012625-1.html

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Whoa. How extremely sad. This poor family.



A year after Stephen Miles murdered his mother things had changed in the Minnesota mental health care facilities but not entirely.


http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/Pa...atureSmithJanuary2007/tabid/1663/Default.aspx

mssheila said:

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_003141418.html


(AP) Hastings, Minn. A man charged with decapitating his stepmother had been turned away from mental health treatment just hours before her death.

Stephen Miles, 23, of Eagan, Minn., was charged Tuesday with killing Maris Jo Miles, 68, of Burnsville, Minn. According to the complaint, he struck her in the head with a hatchet in her kitchen, cut off her head with a knife, and then told his father what he had done.

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It has gone beyond a "crisis" situation. Our mental health system is failing so many people.

Think about all the people who we DON'T hear about? The people who suffer in silence because they have no way to get help or live with people who still think Mental Illness can be controlled by pulling up your bootstraps.

Until people realize that Mental Illness IS AN ILLNESS and not something someone change through a change of attitude we all are going to suffer.

If you know of someone who is suffering from depression please let them know they are not alone. Make some phone calls for them. See if you can get them help. Don't ignore them.

I don't know anything about this story other than what has been posted here but this man should have been in a lock-down facility. End of story. Because he wasn't innocent people are dead.

This is heartbreaking.

Tricia

Tricia--A very timely post considering the other post on Jumar Henry and his horrible crime. No doubt a similar situation. So often young men (much more common in men than women) in their early to mid-twenties will experience the onset of schizophrenia or psychosis. It is an extremely disabling and often sudden onset disease. I would liken it to someone having a heart attack or stroke and attempting to think clearly enough to ask for help.

No one should EVER be afraid to call 911 about a person acting strangely out of character. You might save a life. Offering to make calls and actually taking those who are struggling to appts. is a gift. They are typically having a hard time putting one foot in front of the other and any help can make a difference.

Pay attention to the signs of mental illness and prepare yourself. A great place to learn more is here:

http://nami.org/

Excellent information and links. NAMI also offers free classes and support groups for families struggling with a family member with mental illness. I've taken their 6 week training and it is very helpful.