California Judge Rules Woman Who Stabbed Boyfriend 108 Times While High Will Avoid Prison, Citing She “Had No Control Over Her Actions”

by | Jan 24, 2024 | Aggregate

 Chad O’Melia (L); Bryn Spejcher (R)

A California woman, Bryn Spejcher, who was convicted of fatally stabbing her boyfriend 108 times in a cannabis-induced psychotic episode, received a sentence of probation instead of prison time.

The controversial ruling came after a jury previously found her guilty in December for the involuntary manslaughter that occurred under the influence of a psychotic episode, which both prosecution and defense experts linked to the consumption of cannabis.

On Tuesday, the 33-year-old audiologist was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service after being found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of her boyfriend, Ventura County Star reported.

The victim, 26-year-old Chad O’Melia of Thousand Oaks, was killed in the early hours of May 28, 2018, after what witnesses described as voluntary marijuana use turned into a violent tragedy.

According to accounts, Spejcher and O’Melia, who had met at a dog park and had been dating for only a few weeks, smoked marijuana together at his Thousand Oaks apartment on the night of May 27, 2018.

The court heard that Spejcher, under the influence, attacked O’Melia with various knives and also injured herself before police subdued her with a Taser and baton blows.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley justified his decision on the basis of diminished responsibility, highlighting that the “senseless” killing, was driven by a psychotic break.

“From that point forward, she had no control over her actions,” Judge Worley said before announcing the sentence, which included probation and a suspended four-year prison term that could be enforced should Spejcher violate her probation terms.

Immediately following the sentence, the victim’s father, Sean O’Melia, accused Judge Worley of bias and criticized the decision for setting a perilous precedent.

“He just gave everyone in the state of California who smokes marijuana a license to kill,” he lamented.

More from VC Star:

Spejcher’s lawyers said during the trial that she was “involuntarily intoxicated,” and claimed O’Melia had pressured and intimidated her into taking the last bong hit. Under California criminal law, people are responsible for their actions when impaired by alcohol or drugs unless their intoxication was involuntary.

The jurors rejected the defense’s argument. They deliberated for less than four hours before finding her guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Dec. 1.

During the trial, the prosecution portrayed Spejcher as a callous, narcissistic party girl who just wanted to get high the night she killed O’Melia. At the sentencing hearing, her parents and others painted a dramatically different picture, focusing on her hearing impairment and her work before the crime as a licensed audiologist.

“She has worked her whole life helping others,” her father, Mike Spejcher, said.

Bryn Spejcher also spoke during the sentencing, noting she had been accused repeatedly of showing no remorse. Sobbing, she repeatedly apologized to Sean O’Melia.

“My actions have ripped your family apart,” she said. “I am broken and aching inside. I hurt that you never see Chad again.”

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