Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 12, 2006 20:30:20 GMT -5
Bigby's defense cites effects of depression
Officials mistakenly released James Eugene Bigby from a mental facility
weeks before he carried out a 1987 killing spree that left 4 people dead,
according to a psychiatrist who treated him for severe depression.
They allowed Bigby, a paranoid schizophrenic, to leave a semi-secured unit
at Saint Joseph Hospital to buy cigarettes from the gift shop,
psychiatrist Harold Eudaly testified Monday before a Tarrant County jury,
which will decide whether he should die for the murders of Mike Trekell
and his infant son, Jayson.
"I never saw him again," said Eudaly, a defense witness. "I called him at
home and told him I needed him to come back. He said, 'No, I don't think
so because I feel well.'"
Eudaly added that his next encounter with Bigby occurred when, "I saw the
murders on television."
Bigby's defense attorneys contend that their client's paranoid
schizophrenia and frustrations with a workers compensation claim led to
the Dec. 23 killing spree.
According to court testimony, doctors treated Bigby for depression at
Saint Joseph Hospital in 1986 and 1987. He also received treatment at CPC
Oak Bend Hospital in 1987. He told doctors that stress from his workers
compensation claim against Frito Lay led to problems at home -- his wife
had a miscarriage and wanted to divorce him.
Bigby also told doctors that he was hearing voices and thought that
investigators from Frito Lay were following him and trying to kill him by
piping green gasses through vents.
His last day at Saint Joseph Hospital was Dec. 12.
Bigby, now 51, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the
Trekell killings. However, last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals overturned his sentence. The court ruled that jurors should have
considered whether his mental illness constitutes a mitigating factor in
the crimes.
Bigby is also accused of killing Frank Johnson, 33, of Arlington and
Calvin Crane Jr., 38, of Fort Worth. Those cases are pending.
Prosecutors are trying to show that Bigby should die because he poses a
threat to society.
Earlier Monday, Hurst attorney Charles Noteboom testified that Bigby had
sought a $100,000 settlement from Frito Lay. But Noteboom, who represented
Bigby at the time, said he had repeatedly told Bigby that the most he
could collect was $203.00 a week plus medical insurance for a back and
neck strain.
Bigby threatened to seek the suspension of his law license, Noteboom said.
"He pointed to my license on the wall and said, 'If you don't give me
$100,000, I'm going to take that from you,'" Noteboom said. "That's when I
said, 'Jimmy, I've had enough of you.' "
After that encounter, Noteboom said he asked a judge to remove him from
Bigby's case.
(source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Officials mistakenly released James Eugene Bigby from a mental facility
weeks before he carried out a 1987 killing spree that left 4 people dead,
according to a psychiatrist who treated him for severe depression.
They allowed Bigby, a paranoid schizophrenic, to leave a semi-secured unit
at Saint Joseph Hospital to buy cigarettes from the gift shop,
psychiatrist Harold Eudaly testified Monday before a Tarrant County jury,
which will decide whether he should die for the murders of Mike Trekell
and his infant son, Jayson.
"I never saw him again," said Eudaly, a defense witness. "I called him at
home and told him I needed him to come back. He said, 'No, I don't think
so because I feel well.'"
Eudaly added that his next encounter with Bigby occurred when, "I saw the
murders on television."
Bigby's defense attorneys contend that their client's paranoid
schizophrenia and frustrations with a workers compensation claim led to
the Dec. 23 killing spree.
According to court testimony, doctors treated Bigby for depression at
Saint Joseph Hospital in 1986 and 1987. He also received treatment at CPC
Oak Bend Hospital in 1987. He told doctors that stress from his workers
compensation claim against Frito Lay led to problems at home -- his wife
had a miscarriage and wanted to divorce him.
Bigby also told doctors that he was hearing voices and thought that
investigators from Frito Lay were following him and trying to kill him by
piping green gasses through vents.
His last day at Saint Joseph Hospital was Dec. 12.
Bigby, now 51, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the
Trekell killings. However, last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals overturned his sentence. The court ruled that jurors should have
considered whether his mental illness constitutes a mitigating factor in
the crimes.
Bigby is also accused of killing Frank Johnson, 33, of Arlington and
Calvin Crane Jr., 38, of Fort Worth. Those cases are pending.
Prosecutors are trying to show that Bigby should die because he poses a
threat to society.
Earlier Monday, Hurst attorney Charles Noteboom testified that Bigby had
sought a $100,000 settlement from Frito Lay. But Noteboom, who represented
Bigby at the time, said he had repeatedly told Bigby that the most he
could collect was $203.00 a week plus medical insurance for a back and
neck strain.
Bigby threatened to seek the suspension of his law license, Noteboom said.
"He pointed to my license on the wall and said, 'If you don't give me
$100,000, I'm going to take that from you,'" Noteboom said. "That's when I
said, 'Jimmy, I've had enough of you.' "
After that encounter, Noteboom said he asked a judge to remove him from
Bigby's case.
(source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram)