GUILTY NV - Damian Avila Castro, 4 mos, dies in axe attack, Las Vegas, 11 Feb 2010

New Posts

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11980518

I'm failing to grasp how a woman can be married to a man she readily describes as a Paranoid Schizophrenic who does not "believe in drugs" and can leave him to deal with the stressors of caring for an adult with disabilities and three children. She states that he's been pacing the floor and hasn't slept recently. Can someone please go and shake this woman.

I'm feeling that she is overwhelmingly complicit in this act. It's akin to watching your husband building bombs in the back room and then being surprised when something gets blown up. My Lord, why was she surprised by the call? She says she's been "with him" for 18 years (and he's 33?) and that they've known each other since Kindergarten. This woman surely knew he was seriously in trouble.

I want to know why she's not being questioned as an accessory. She failed to protect!!

And here's an updated version of one of the articles posted above with more info:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzdXNwZWN0aW5heHM-

"Montague swapped one weapon for another one like it before going outside."
 
Erricca Montague refers to the attacked woman in the house as her sister. I'm finding a Harold and an Erricca at several addresses along with a S. Montague. I guess this could be one of the children but if it's the disabled woman who was attacked, what would the family relationship be?

I'm wondering if the three adults are all siblings or half siblings? Erricca did say that she's known the guy since Kindergarten and that they've been together since he was 15 (per my research, she's a year younger). Something's not jiving.
 
Just throwing this out there. It could be nothing. Notice that the last name is Montague. The attacker's name is Harold....not a super common name for a 33 year old man. Do some googling and you'll come up with an awful lot about King Harold, battle axes, and Montagues in the Renaissance Fairs and Re-enactments. I wonder if they've legally changed their names?

http://www.lvrenfair.com/poster-archive.asp

http://www.texrenfest.com/directions.html

FWIW, I live in Ashland, OR, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We have over 300,000 theatre goers ever year. We have a gorgeous park in the center of town which hosts frequent "re-enactments". Lots of sword play and axes, too. Through personal experience, I've known several of the entertainers to possess bold and unique personalities. I've often thought that many of them need to be on meds of some kind. They take their playing very seriously and are rarely "out of character".

I'm just wondering about this man. There's something we haven't been told yet.
 
Oh my god.........I'm speechless and sickened.

A 4 month old...........a 4 month old..........

I just don't know what to say anymore.
 
Missizzy said:
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11980518

I'm failing to grasp how a woman can be married to a man she readily describes as a Paranoid Schizophrenic who does not "believe in drugs" and can leave him to deal with the stressors of caring for an adult with disabilities and three children. She states that he's been pacing the floor and hasn't slept recently. Can someone please go and shake this woman.

I'm feeling that she is overwhelmingly complicit in this act. It's akin to watching your husband building bombs in the back room and then being surprised when something gets blown up. My Lord, why was she surprised by the call? She says she's been "with him" for 18 years (and he's 33?) and that they've known each other since Kindergarten. This woman surely knew he was seriously in trouble.

I want to know why she's not being questioned as an accessory. She failed to protect!!

And here's an updated version of one of the articles posted above with more info:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzdXNwZWN0aW5heHM-

"Montague swapped one weapon for another one like it before going outside."
Click to expand...

I just noticed what this article said

The wife of a Las Vegas man accused of killing a baby with an ax told FOX5 her husband was schizophrenic and described him as a sociopath.

But, she said 33-year-old Harold Montague never turned violent until Thursday.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22546032/detail.html



If she really said that, it's no different than knowing your ol' man's building pipe bombs in the basement.

What a lethal combination!!

IMO, the wife needs her head examined to be sure her kids & sister are safe, even w/ the madman locked away.

I hope family/child protective services keeps an eye on that household.
 
TM--Watch the original video. These are the exact words which the wife said. Paranoid schizophrenic, bipolar, depression. I think there's been some tinkering with the reporting unless she's given another statement. Like I said earlier, she should be held responsible!!

http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=11971709
 
This story is absolute heartbreaking to say the least. What was truly heartbreaking was that the neighbor said he had to try to keep the mother from standing up despite her horrific injuries. I'm sure she wanted to get up to protect her baby.

If she survives she's not only going to have to deal with her physical injuries but her emotional/mental ones too. I hope she has a lot of loving family and friends to be there for her.
 
Oh geeze..another horrible story..so senseless..why was this paranoid, schizophrenic bipolar guy running around, probably "off his meds"??

I hope they have some sort of "time release" meds for these people or else bring back the mental hospitals...lately I really have been thinking that lots of these horrible stories could be prevented if there was a way for families/friends/whoever to get immediate help /lockdown for these mentally ill people when they go into these "states"...

They are a danger to society and all the politically correct "it is an illness" is just bs cause people with diabetes or arthritis are not a danger to others...yeah it is an illness but one that puts others at risk

maybe we need time release meds....or weekly/monthly blood tests to monitor if these people are taking their meds or else their "disablity" check is witheld and they go into the mental hospital to get "regulated" and back on their meds

harsh?? Yeah....and sorry if I offend people...but it is true. How many cases right on these boards involve people "off their meds"..or people who were diagnosed with severe mental illness/problems?? I am NOT talking just "depression"...but real mental illness
 
LogicalMinds said:
harsh?? Yeah....and sorry if I offend people...but it is true. How many cases right on these boards involve people "off their meds"..or people who were diagnosed with severe mental illness/problems?? I am NOT talking just "depression"...but real mental illness
Click to expand...

We seems to have gone to a self-monitoring mode of managing individuals with behavioral issues. We release convicted violent offenders and tell them to be good. We expect a person with mental issues to understand the critical importance of taking their meds. Family and friends don't want to admit the problem and instead insist everything is just fine until something tragic happens.

It is a mess.
 
Texas Mist said:
I just noticed what this article said

The wife of a Las Vegas man accused of killing a baby with an ax told FOX5 her husband was schizophrenic and described him as a sociopath.

But, she said 33-year-old Harold Montague never turned violent until Thursday.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22546032/detail.html



If she really said that, it's no different than knowing your ol' man's building pipe bombs in the basement.

What a lethal combination!!

IMO, the wife needs her head examined to be sure her kids & sister are safe, even w/ the madman locked away.

I hope family/child protective services keeps an eye on that household.
Click to expand...

Given the way the "system" works there isn't much they would do

look at all the cases on these boards...and then look at how many say involve bipolar/schizophrenic people...."off their meds"

some states a family can "Baker act" a person for ? 48 hours....but when they come out that family has to live with them (FLorida)

other states don't even offer that protection

what can she do?? call for help? No one will help....it could be months and "qualify" for medical help/benefits....

these mentally ill people are considered to have "rights">> and with the privacy laws doctors/shrinks etc won't even talk to family,friends etc

I challenge anyone to do what I have been doing ...looking at all these cases and seeing how many involve mentally ill people "off their meds"...
not only the perps...but often the victims ...fall into this catagory

as dangerous as these untreated off their meds people are to others, they also are a danger to themselves....especially women....bipolar women are more often abused, raped...and get themselves into dangerous situations

several missing women on these board suffer/ed from this

but really..our "system" no longer has much to offer the families in a crisis like this until it is too late and the police..and homicide detectives..are called in
 
Missizzy said:
TM--Watch the original video. These are the exact words which the wife said. Paranoid schizophrenic, bipolar, depression. I think there's been some tinkering with the reporting unless she's given another statement. Like I said earlier, she should be held responsible!!

http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=11971709
Click to expand...

what can she do until he commits a crime??

pick up the phone and tell the cops he is not taking his meds?? that won't help

put him in for 48 hours IF her state even will do that?? when he comes out she might be in danger

get a restraining order that he would not follow? I am sure she was walking on eggshells

I have stated elsewhere that one of my uncles was "mentally ill" (we called it crazy back then) and spent a lot of time in and out of mental hospitals..of course this was in the 1960's when we still had mental hospitals

Back then a family could call the hospital and they would "take them away' for awhile....they didn't have all the "meds" back then , just thorazine and lithium I guess?? But people were safer

Maybe eventually they can get some sort of "implant" delivery of the "meds" these people need but won't take. Part of their "illness" is that they don't like taking their meds or feeling "normal", too "boring" for them

I am getting sick of reading of so many tragedies...if a diabetic doesn't take their insulin, they will get sick and maybe die...their problem...but when these mentally ill people refuse to take their meds anyone can be their victim
 
This story makes me sick to my stomach. That poor mother and baby. And how could his wife stay with him when she believes he's a sociopath?? I don't get it.
 
Shamrock said:
This story makes me sick to my stomach. That poor mother and baby. And how could his wife stay with him when she believes he's a sociopath?? I don't get it.
Click to expand...
]

These boards are full of people who are "mentally ill" but much loved...

"off their meds".....whatever...it just keeps getting worse

at some point I would like to find more statistics..and also compile statistics just from these boards

apparently the wife said he had never been violent before....but now what a horrible horrible tragedy
 
openmind--I would like to respectively point out that not all families "don't want to admit the problem and instead insist everything is just fine until something tragic happens".

Our family includes many family members with moderate to severe mental illness. I know what my rights and their rights are in our state, Oregon. It is absolutely impossible to do anything proactive. LE can certainly do a status check on someone who is actively threatening suicide or harm but that's about it. Families are being relied on, IMO, as the cushion between the person who is ill and general society. In other words, we are to keep close watch and to absorb and report any violence immediately. Obviously, not all families are willing to step up to the plate and take on that role. And I surely don't blame them as it is extremely disturbing to deal with the constant threat of physical harm.

Rarely a day goes by that I don't speak to LE somewhere in my state concerning one of my children. I am extremely vigilant and take it upon myself to talk to LE depts., rescue missions, churches, and other locations where my adult kids show up. I'm dedicated to safety. I will go to my grave fighting for other people's and my own children's safety. It's a full time job, though, and there is so little that caring parties can do.

Just this week, we had a pastor of a church (who tried to help one of our criminally involved and mentally ill sons) drive him to a large city in our state, just to remove him from the small community he was terrorizing (frequent arrests for stalking, assaults and peeping). The Sheriff's office was "helpful" with this move. This isn't the first time this young man has been taken to this city as it happens to be one of the only places in our state which offers services for people such as our son.

Is it right just to move the person to a bigger city, a new location? No!! It's horrid. But the mentally ill can wear out small communities, churches, and helping organizations. They not only will not stay on their meds. They will not remain connected to community based services--even when those services are exceptionally hard fought for and can be helpful.

It is correct that we "expect" people to be good--to straighten up and fly right. This is like telling a five year old to do the same. Many mentally ill and/or developmentally people simply don't have the skills, the desire, or the gumption.

IMO, we need to return to a "commitment" program milieu. The treatment centers, however, must be far more concerned about quality of life for the residents. Spend some time at State Hospitals and institutions and everyone will quickly see why we closed them down several decades ago. They were abysmal. I'd be banging my head against the concrete block wall, too, if I were confined to one.

Watch "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". One would think that a place like that no longer exists. However, that movie was filmed at the Oregon State Hospital. One of our sons lived there for two years of this adolescence. It was exactly as portrayed in the film--exactly. He aged out of their five years ago. That is no way to live.

Our jails and prisons are certainly not set up for the mentally ill or the developmentally disabled. In fact, I believe that including this population is detrimental to everyone. Someone off their meds (and many people in jail or prison are prohibited from taking their meds) or with an IQ of 55 just cannot benefit from or within the boundaries of the milieu. They also negatively impact others.

With our budget, what can we do?
 
Man accused in fatal ax attack makes court appearance

The man accused of killing a 4-month-old boy with a medieval-style battle ax and severely injuring the child’s mother by chopping both of them as they strolled through a residential neighborhood made his first court appearance this morning, where his attorneys said they are proceeding cautiously because their client could face the death penalty.

Deputy Public Defender Norm Reed told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson he was requesting a status check in two weeks so he could have more time to meet with his client, Harold Montague, 33, and determine whether he should be evaluated for mental competency. Reed said he wants to make sure Montague fully understands the charges against him.

more here - including pics of Harold Montague

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/16/man-accused-fatal-ax-attack-makes-courts-appearanc/
 
LogicalMinds--I appreciate you calling me on the carpet for my statements. Of course, I realize that most of my "calls for responsibility" are just theoretical. They are my rants.

However, I do wish that this woman would be somehow held responsible for allowing her husband to be left alone with three children (one in school) and a disabled adult. That was clearly asking for disaster. When you are a spouse of a person with a severe mental or even chronic medical illness, you bear some responsibility to supervise them and get help when you note danger signals ie. pacing and the beginnings of delusional thought, in this case.

Sadly, I have to agree that there are no clear answers to this growing problem.
 
Texas Mist--Where did you see the quote that the wife referred to Montague as a sociopath? That's quite a strong diagnosis for the guy having no support or oversight. Just wondering.
 
Missizzy said:
Texas Mist--Where did you see the quote that the wife referred to Montague as a sociopath? That's quite a strong diagnosis for the guy having no support or oversight. Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Authorities said the attack appeared to be random in nature and a motive wasn’t known, although Montague’s wife told the news media her husband was having a “mental episode” and that he had been diagnosed as a sociopath as a child.
Click to expand...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/16/man-accused-fatal-ax-attack-makes-courts-appearanc/
 
DairyGirl said:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/16/man-accused-fatal-ax-attack-makes-courts-appearanc/
Click to expand...

dairygirl - none of this is aimed at you specifically. You just had the link, so I'm bouncing off you.

First of all, I thought it was against APA recommendations and therefore pretty much impossible to diagnose sociopathy in children. One must be an adult before being branded with that particular diagnosis (I think, I have just recently started looking into this area myself, so I don't know when that recommendation was made.) But essentially, I wouldn't put much in that statement, the wife does not seem to have a degree in psychiatry and she just heard a buzzword and repeated it.

We should have a system in which the wife could do something when she figured he was dangerous, however, unfortunately, we don't have that system. We have...well, pretty much nothing, until after someone does something tragic, criminal, and unfixable.
 
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