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Lawyer for California woman avoiding jail in marijuana stabbing stands by 'psychotic' defense: 'Not a con job'
Lawyers for the California woman who avoided prison time in the killing her boyfriend after succumbing to a cannabis-induced psychosis are warning that extra potent marijuana strains from “illicit” providers can have unpredictable and tragic consequences, even in states where the drug is legal.
Bryn Spejcher, 32, stabbed her boyfriend Chad O’Melia 108 times after smoking an ultra-high potent strain of marijuana that her lawyers said came with a warning label she had not been privy to. Then she stabbed her dog and turned the knife on herself, surviving 43 self-inflicted wounds and multiple surgeries.
“The defense presented in court was not a ‘con job’ as some have described it,” her attorney Michael Goldstein told Fox News Digital. “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.”
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Bryn Spejcher was sentenced to 100 days of community service after stabbing Chad O’Melia 108 times in his LA apartment. (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office/Fox & Friends First)
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.
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.
Bryn Spejcher reacts as the jury finds her guilty of manslaughter on 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)
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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.
When asked about the difference between Spejcher’s case and a fatal drunken driving crash, Goldstein said the killer’s awareness of what she was getting into is the defining factor.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger addresses the jury during the manslaughter trial of Bryn Spejcher on Nov. 9, 2023. Spejcher, who was found guilty, was sentenced on Tuesday. (Juan Carlo/The Star/USA Today Network)
“As far as a DUI is concerned, that person knowingly and consciously drinks to excess and decides to get behind the wheel of a car,” he said. “In Ms. Spejcher’s case, she took a hit of what she believed to be a legal consumer product in the sanctity of Mr. O’Melia’s home as they sat on his couch with no plans to go drive home that evening.”
O’Melia provided the pot but not the warning on the label, he said.
“Mr. O’Melia was a well-documented, experienced and chronic user of high potency cannabis,” he added, citing evidence introduced in the trial. “That came with a responsibility. With that information, Ms. Spejcher could have made an informed decision and this tragedy could have been avoided.”
O’Melia’s father, who organized a protest outside the courthouse before sentencing, told Fox News Friday 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.
“The judge didn’t do his job,” he said. “He didn’t do what he was responsible to do.”
Sean O’Melia, right, chats with other protesters in a demonstration held the day before Tuesday’s sentencing of Bryn Spejcher. (Tom Kisken/The Star/USA Today Network)
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“Our prayers are with the O’Melia family and cannot imagine the unspeakable loss they have suffered,” Goldstein said. “Ms. Spejcher never envisioned taking a hit of a legal substance, spiraling into a severe psychotic state and stabbing another human being and then herself.”
Marijuana is legal in California for prescribed medicinal users over 18 and recreational users above 21.
WATCH: Ruling for California woman involved in fatal stabbing is ‘just outrageous,’ says Ted Williams
A Ventura County jury found Spejcher guilty of involuntary manslaughter in December.
The court last week handed down a sentence of two years on probation and 100 hours of community service.
“Ms. Spejcher is broken and remorseful for what happened to Chad,” Goldstein said. “She will never again live a normal life and her medical license and ability to help other deaf people is at risk.”
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HELENA, Mont. — The Department of Veteran Affairs appointed a new healthcare system director.
Kimberly Adkins is responsible for 21 sites of care statewide including a medical center at Fork Harrison, a health care center in Billings, 13 community-based outpatient clinics and oversees delivery of health care services covering 1447,000 square miles in Montana.
Adkins has been a federal employee since May 1989 when she began as a GS-3 clerk-typist with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Officials say she brings experience overseeing emergency management, fiscal, facilities management, safety, strategic planning, supply chain management, police, privacy, human resource, contacting and more.
The Department of Veteran Affairs provided the information in the following press release:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Kimberly Adkins, as the new director of Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS). Ms. Adkins is responsible for 21 sites of care statewide including: a Medical Center at Fort Harrison, a Health Care Center (HCC) in Billings, 13 Community Based Outpatient Clinics, and oversees delivery of health care services covering 147,000 square miles within the state of Montana.
“We are excited to bring Ms. Adkins on board as the new director of the VA Montana Health Care System,” said Sunaina Kumar-Giebel, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19 Director. “Her sound leadership qualities and proven experience will be valuable assets for the facility, the employees and volunteers, and most importantly, for the Veterans we are honored to serve.”
Mrs. Adkins has been a Federal employee since May of 1989 when she began her career as a GS-3 clerk-typist with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. She has more than 29 years of Federal service. She brings experience overseeing emergency management, fiscal, facilities management, safety, strategic planning, supply chain management, police, privacy, human resources, contracting, and more.
The Montana VA Health Care System provides essential services is a Joint Commission accredited, level two complexity facility serving Veterans across Montana; the largest catchment area in the lower 48 states (about 147,000 square miles) and operates on a budget of over $612 million. MTVAHCS has approximately 47,300 enrolled Veterans and has capacity to provide services to the estimated 65,000 eligible Veterans in Montana. MTVAHCS has 21 sites of care statewide including: a Medical Center at Fort Harrison, a Health Care Center (HCC) in Billings, 13 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (Bozeman, Butte, Browning, Cut Bank, Glasgow, Glendive, Great Falls, Hamilton, Havre, Kalispell, Lewistown, Miles City, Missoula), a Primary Telehealth Outpatient Clinic in Plentywood, a 14-bed Community Living Center in Miles City, a nationally accredited Sleep Disorders Center in Helena, and ATLAS telehealth sites in Eureka, Bozeman and Missoula. Fort Harrison VA Medical Center has 29 authorized/18 operational acute care medical/surgical beds; which includes six Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds offering a broad range of acute, chronic, and specialized inpatient and outpatient services for Veterans. Fort Harrison operates a 24-bed residential rehabilitation unit offering 2 tracks: the treatment of Veterans with PTSD and the treatment of Veterans with substance abuse. Billings Health Care Center (HCC) provides Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care services, as well as Dental, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Diagnostic Imaging, and outpatient specialty procedures and surgical interventions for the largest metropolitan area in Montana and vast rural area of the eastern half of Montana. Billing’s secondary service area includes northern Wyoming. Telehealth services are available at all sites of care.
RENO, Nev. — The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is investigating a battery with a deadly weapon at the Nevada Cares Campus Resource Center in Reno on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the Nevada Cares Campus Resource Center on Line Drive around 1 p.m. on June 30.
Upon arrival, deputies determined the suspect had stabbed one victim. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries, and the suspect was taken into custody.
The identity of the suspect has not been released.
This remains an active investigation. The public is asked to avoid the area while deputies continue processing the scene.
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Police say there is no ongoing threat to the public related to this incident.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) – Las Vegas police and firefighters are warning residents that they are on the lookout for illegal fireworks this Independence Day. Following the area’s severe drought conditions and elevated risk of wildfire, the City of Las Vegas said they will be strictly enforcing fireworks laws.
Banned fireworks this year include aerial devices like bottle rockets, roman candles, and mortars, as well as any ground firecrackers that make loud noises.
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