West
California woman who avoided prison after stabbing boyfriend 108 times while high appealing light sentence
A California woman who got out of jail scot-free after stabbing her boyfriend 108 times in a marijuana-induced psychosis is appealing her slap-on-the-wrist conviction, arguing that she was tricked into using the drug to begin with.
Bryn Spejcher, 32, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after she stabbed Chad O’Melia, 26, dozens of times before turning the knife on her dog and then herself.
She received a sentence of two years on probation and 100 hours of community service.
LAWYER FOR CALIFORNIA WOMAN AVOIDING JAIL IN MARIJUANA STABBING STANDS BY ‘PSYCHOTIC’ DEFENSE: ‘NOT A CON JOB’
Bryn Spejcher reacts as the jury finds her guilty of manslaughter on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, for the 2018 cannabis-induced killing of Chad O’Melia. Jurors deliberated less than a day before returning their verdict in the afternoon. (ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK)
In a new interview, she revealed she plans to appeal the slap on the wrist because she believes O’Melia tricked her into using the drug, she told the Daily Mail.
Although the two were dating, Spejcher told the outlet she never considered O’Melia her official boyfriend and said she told him she no longer had any romantic interest in him two days before killing him.
She claimed he was aggressive, intimidating and had a temper, she told the outlet. So when he encouraged her to hit a bong on the day of the stabbing, she gave into the pressure — then went into a deadly psychosis.
CALIFORNIA WOMAN WHO GOT HIGH AND STABBED BOYFRIEND 108 TIMES WILL NOT TO GO PRISON, JUDGE RULES
Sean O’Melia joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to remember his son, Chad, who was fatally stabbed by a California woman. (The O’Melia Family)
“Yes, I physically inhaled it,” she said. “So, we’re both accountable, but there’s obviously been more attention to my part [in the attack] versus Chad’s part.”
Her lawyers have maintained that O’Melia introduced her to a hyper-potent strain of marijuana that she wasn’t ready for, resulting in an adverse reaction that sent her into a deadly craze. They did not immediately respond to questions about the appeal Friday morning, before business hours on the West Coast.
“The defense presented in court was not a ‘con job’ as some have described it,” her attorney Michael Goldstein told Fox News Digital after the initial sentencing.
CALIFORNIA MAN WHO PUMMELED, SHOT AT FEMALE DEPUTY FOUND NOT GUILTY DESPITE VIDEO OF ATTACK
Bryn Spejcher, left, was sentenced to 100 days of community service after stabbing Chad O’Melia, right, 108 times in his LA apartment. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office/Fox & Friends First)
Months before the fatal encounter, O’Melia’s roommate also had an “extreme reaction” after smoking out of the same bong, Goldstein said. He suffered hallucinations and fear of death.
Spejcher had only smoked pot less than a half-dozen times prior to the stabbing, her lawyers said, describing her as a “naive user.” She worked at the UCLA Medical Center as an audiologist and is hearing impaired herself.
“The defense of ‘cannabis-induced psychosis’ was based primarily on the testimony of both renowned psychiatrist Dr. William Wirshing and prosecution expert Dr. Kris Mohandie,” Goldstein said.
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Sean O’Melia, right, chats with other protesters in a demonstration held the day before Tuesday’s sentencing of Bryn Spejcher, convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the killing of Chad O’Melia, Sean’s son. (TOM KISKEN/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Wirshing and Mohandie were among four experts whose work was cited in the trial. They both found that the explosive violence was “unpredictable” and “unforeseeable,” Goldstein said.
The specific strain contained a 31.8% THC level and a warning label that said, “Caution, for High Tolerance Users Only,” he added. According to the Yale School of Medicine, the average THC content in cannabis seized by the DEA was 4% in 1995 and had risen to 17% in 2017.
Marijuana is legal in California for prescribed medicinal users over 18 and recreational users above 21.
FEDERAL JUDGE GREEN LIGHTS NEW YORK MARIJUANA LICENSING DESPITE ‘DISASTER’ LEGAL CANNABIS MARKET ROLLOUT
Chief Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger addresses the jury during the manslaughter trial of Bryn Spejcher on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Spejcher, who was found guilty, was sentenced to probation and community service. (JUAN CARLO/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK)
A search of SweetFlower.com, the website for a Los Angeles-based dispensary, found marijuana “flower” for sale legally with THC levels as high as 39%. Similar levels were available Friday from a local competitor, The Artist Tree.
Processed and concentrated products can contain up to 90% THC, Goldstein added.
“Nobody seems to want to address this issue,” he said.
O’Melia’s father, who organized a protest outside the courthouse for Spejcher’s no-prison sentencing hearing, told Fox News in January that the system has “completely failed” his son and the family when Spejcher received a punishment of just two years of probation, 100 hours of community service and no prison time.
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The Waterford RiNo building at 2797 Wewatta Way was given to a lender in 2025. (BusinessDen file)
Denver’s apartment market is facing headwinds.
BusinessDen scoured county foreclosure records, third-party reports and court filings to determine the area’s apartment buildings that have exhibited signs of financial distress in recent months.
The list below is not necessarily comprehensive, but will be updated when we have more information, or when a particular property’s situation changes.
Foreclosed
2617-2667 W. Evans Ave., Denver
Loan: $14 million
Former owner: JTA1 Real Properties LLC AND JTA4 Real Properties LLC
Unit count: 125
456 S. Ironton St., Aurora
Loan: $25.54
Former owner: HL Lofts LLC/Summit Communities
Unit count: 112
Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure
2797 Wewatta Way, Denver
Loan: $91 million
Former owner: SRGMF III Wewatta Way Denver LLC/Sares Regis Group
Unit count: 301
Foreclosure initiated
1259 Newton St., Denver
Loan: $12.65 million
Owner: AVP Newton Venture LLC/Armada Venture Partners
4510 W. Saint Clair Place, Adams County
Loan: $6.35 million
Owner: 4510 Saint Clair Apartments LLC
2038 South Vaughn Way, Aurora
Loan: $57.15 million
Owner: Arboreta Apts LLC/Summit Communities
Unit count: 268
1433, 1451 and 1463 Macon St., Aurora
Loan: $2.98 million
Owner: West Macon Street LLC
In receivership, not in foreclosure
10101 Washington St., Thornton
Loan: $17.5 million
Owner: Meadows at Town Center LLC/Summit Communities
Units: 104
7500 Dakin St., Adams County
Loan: $49.5 million
Owner: Boulder CR Apts LLC/Summit Communities
Units: 322
Bankrupt
1592 Boston St., Aurora
Loan: $3 million
Owner: 1592 Boston Street LLC/Shaul Gabbay
Unit count: 32
1960 Dallas St., Aurora
Loan: $4.8 million
Owner: 1960 Dallas Street LLC/Shaul Gabbay
Unit count: 32
The Seattle Mariners have two notable players on the injured list that are nearing their returns.
Mariners’ Matt Brash details side issue, doesn’t think it’s serious
Here’s a quick look at what we know about the statuses of third baseman Brendan Donovan and Bryce Miller.
Brendan Donovan
Donovan has been out of action with a left groin strain since April 18, but could be just days away from getting back in the Mariners’ lineup. The 29-year-old All-Star has reached the minimum amount for a stay on the 10-day injured list.
“The progression has gone as hoped, and he’s taken swings. I think he looks like he’s on pace to be back during the homestand at some point,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Tuesday.
Donovan was the Mariners’ key offseason acquisition, landing in Seattle from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also involved the Tampa Bay Rays.
Donovan underwent sports hernia surgery in October and had a few periods where he missed games in April due to injury or illness.
When Donovan has been on the field, he’s been Seattle’s primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching and among the team’s best offensive producers. He has a .304/.437/.518 slash line for a .954 OPS with three home runs in 18 games this year.
Bryce Miller
Still working his way back after oblique inflammation derailed his spring training, Miller is expected to make the third start of his minor league rehab assignment Friday in the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers’ home game against the Las Vegas Aviators at Cheney Stadium.
The Mariners will have a tough decision to make with their starting rotation when Miller returns, as Emerson Hancock (2.86 ERA, 0.981 WHIP) has been great thus far filling in for Miller. Seattle has some time before a decision needs to be made, though.
For one, Miller isn’t fully stretched out, throwing only 47 pitches and three innings in his second rehab start last Friday with the High-A Everett AquaSox. And second, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said that the M’s were likely to use the full 30 days allowed on Miller’s rehab stint, which would put him on pace to join the team in mid-May.
Seattle Mariners news and analysis
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East County News Service
April 29, 2026 (San Diego County) — The U.S. Postal Service will carry more than just mail Saturday, May 9 during the 34th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
Recognized as the largest single-day food collection effort in the United States, the event mobilizes the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank in replenishing local food pantry shelves before summer.
The drive comes at a pivotal moment for the region.
As the school year draws to a close, many children lose access to the daily free or reduced-price meal programs offered by school districts. The summer gap, combined with the sustained pressure of high local living costs, has kept the demand for food assistance at near-record levels.
Last year, the community’s response was massive, with residents donating nearly 127,000 pounds of food along local mail routes.
The logistics of the drive are designed for maximum convenience. To donate, San Diego County residents are asked to place a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before their letter carrier arrives on Saturday.
Letter carriers will collect these donations and take them to local hubs where volunteers and Food Bank staff will sort the haul. The food is then moved to the Food Bank’s primary warehouse in the Miramar area before being distributed to more than 450 nonprofit partners. (Partners including soup kitchens, shelters, and faith-based pantries across the county.)
The Food Bank and more
The San Diego Food Bank has been a fixture of the community since 1977, growing from a small grassroots operation into the county’s primary hunger-relief engine. While the organization rescues millions of pounds of fresh produce and retail leftovers annually, the Stamp Out Hunger drive provides shelf-stable items essential for long-term food security.
Organizers have identified several “most-needed” items that provide the highest nutritional value for families in crisis. These include canned meats and fish, such as tuna and chicken; canned vegetables and fruits; and canned soups, and stews. High-demand pantry staples like oatmeal, boxes of cereal, rice and jars of peanut butter are also high on the priority list.
While the letter carriers handle the heavy lifting on the routes, a massive volunteer effort will be underway at several key processing locations across the city. Between 3 and 6 p.m., teams will be stationed at the Encanto, Grantville and Scripps Ranch post offices, as well as the Food Bank’s main Miramar Warehouse, to manage the influx of goods.
For the NALC, this drive represents a decades-long commitment to the communities they walk every day. By leveraging the existing infrastructure of the postal service, the drive reaches neighborhoods that might otherwise be disconnected from traditional donation centers.
For more information, visit sandiegofoodbank.org/stamp-out-hunger.
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