Heading into this weekend, we reported that James Williams pleaded guilty to the 2007 murder of Shannon Harps, noting that, at his arraignment in 2008, there had been some question regarding Williams’ mental fitness to stand trial. We asked the King County Prosecutor’s office what had changed for Williams since October 2008. This is spokesperson Ian Goodhew’s reply:
[Williams] pled as charged after our office worked to have him restored to competency to stand trial for the murder by sending him to Western State Hospital. He pled not guilty at arraignment in 2008 because every criminal defendant will enter a not guilty plea in order to consult with their attorney, discuss the various options they have and then chose either to plead, negotiate or fight the charge by gong to trial. Mr. Williams at first did not appear competent. The court sent him to Western State Hospital for evaluation at the request of the state and defense. He was found initially not-competent and then Western State doctors restored his competency. Mr. Williams returned to court and indicated he wanted to plead guilty as charged, which he did.
We have also included the paperwork from the case the prosecutor provided to us including the plea agreement, the probable cause hearing documentation, and the morbidly fascinating worksheets used to determine recommended length of sentences.
He was pretty clearly insane at the time he killed Ms. Harps. He was sent to Western State Hospital where he was treated to make him sane enough to stand trial. He then plead guilty and will be sent off to jail, where he surely won’t get the level of mental health treatment that he would get in a secure mental hospital.
Some countries seem to often send those demonstrably mentally ill at the time of their crimes to secure mental institutions, the US very rarely so ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_guilty_by_reason_of_insanit).
Neither psychiatric hospital nor jail will bring Ms. Harps back, but surely the secure hospital would be a more humane home for such a profoundly disturbed man as Mr. Williams?
In either setting this guy will be medicated for the rest of his life to the max … for me there is no issue. I do not support killing by the state, thus, his custody locus is of little import.
Very sad moment to read of this woman killed at the doors of her building for no reason. It was classic mania.