Posted on 04/18/2007 1:55:30 PM PDT by Ben Mugged
A Virginia court found that Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho was "mentally ill" and dangerous. Then it let him go.
Back in 2005, the District Court in Christiansburg said that Cho was a danger to himself but not others. He was ordered to undergo outpatient care.
The ruling came after Cho was taken to a nearby psychiatric hospital for evaluation in December 2005, after two female schoolmates said they received threatening messages from him and police and school officials became concerned that he might be suicidal.
That information came to light two days after Cho, a Virginia Tech senior, killed 32 people and then himself in a shooting rampage on the university's campus.
Police obtained the order from a local magistrate after it was determined by a state certified employee that Cho met legal criteria for temporary detention that includes being a threat to others and being unable to care for himself.
Under Virginia law, "A magistrate has the authority to issue a detention order upon a finding that a person is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization or treatment.
"The magistrate also must find that the person is an imminent danger to himself or others," says the guideline from Virginia's state court system.
Wendell Flinchum, the chief of the Virginia Tech police department, said that it's common for police to work with mental health facilities
"We normally go through access [appealing to the state's legal system for help] because they have the power to commit people if they need to be committed," said Wendell Flinchum, chief of the Virginia Tech police department.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Where?
You got that right. And why he was allowed to continue living on campus after setting a dorm fire??? And not charged with arson.
Had anybody followed through on his actionable behaviors, he might be in a mental hospital instad of a pine box with 32 victims notched in it.
BTW, it Googles right up.
And this is the text of the NICS statute.
http://www.bazelon.org/govdocs/hr4757.txt
It was the GUN’s fault. Not this poor, miserable, stupid, deadbeat, insane, non-American murderer! /sarcasm still heavily on!
“I wonder why that court record did not trip up his NICS check.”
We have been learning about government databases, since 9-11-01.
Of course I know the IRS would do much beter, and perhaps should take a lead role in federal government data management.
“I wonder why that court record did not trip up his NICS check.”
We have been learning about government databases, since 9-11-01.
Of course I know the IRS would do much beter, and perhaps should take a lead role in federal government data management.
So, the guy sends threatening emails to women, but he is only a danger to himself. What happened, did he send threatening emails to himself, too?
Another poster is saying they did press charges. This whole thing makes more sense if they did not. I think Tech would have cracked down if he were charged with a crime.
enterprising college campuses could attract new students by taking down the “gun free” signs and replacing them with some new slogans.
how ‘bout...”We strive to be a sociopath-free campus”
I think enrollment would increase.
They actually ruled he wasn’t a danger to others. Ooops!
That's what I'm guessing, especially a 'student' at a University run hospital or clinic where they are likely very anal on "personal" information.
“Cho entered the country in 1992, so I doubt that would have worked here.”
So he would have been 8 or 9 years old when he entered the US. I am sure there were problems noted through his elementary school, middle school, and high school years too. It is just a shame that his parents did not committ him for help as I’m sure they knew he had severe problems. Had they committed him, he and 32 others would be alive.
I’m not sure if that would make a difference for inclusion in the NICS or the system that Virginia has in addition to it. I’ve been curious about that but have not found anything definitive on it. Either way....he was a danger to others.
They probably were very old-country-ish, probably poorly educated, not too English-savvy........and loathe to "lose face" in the community due to their culture.
I can imagine these two poor souls slaved away every day in the back-room confines of the hot, small cleaning shop to make the money to send Junior through college.
My sorrow and sympathy for this couple knows no bounds. I have half a hunch they're in the hospital so their mental health can be monitored closely.......and to prevent them from committing you-know-what.
Leni
It looks like they were ready to proceed with an "involuntary commitment" order, if he didn't agree to treatment (see pg.5).
I'm guessing that no involuntary commitment occured, so that's why he wasn't in the databases. He was never "adjudicated" incompetent or mentally ill. An initial hearing is not an adjudication (akin to a conviction in a criminal court proceeding).
Yes there is. I am familiar with crisis work. If someone poses a danger to themselves or others, they can be involuntarily transported by ambulance or police to an ER. While there, hospital security can hold them until it is determined they need to be committed. If they run away, a warrant is issued for their arrest. All this is done before a committal takes place. Generally, the max is 30 days. the average is a week or two. if more time is needed, they would go to a state hospital for no more than a year. But understand this,, the push is on to deny hospitalizations. "Recovery" is the new buzz word in the mental health community. All a mental case has to do is say the right words "I am not going to hurt myself,, I am not going to hurt anyone else" and they generally will be released. It only takes a little acting. There is a big push by mental health advocates over "stigma" and normalization. I have listened as advocates minimize mental illnesses. using slogans like "we are all a little mentally ill" and so forth. And then you have the privacy crap. It is now considered a civil rights violation for case workers and hospital staff as well as teachers and others to break confidentiality regarding mental patients. So,, even on that campus, teachers feared lawsuits by speaking too much about this guy,, according to one story. These confidentiality laws are a danger to society, as far as I am concerned. They were really just started to legitimize Bill Clinton keeping his med records a secret. They are a roadblock to communication at times like these.
Except that right there on page five is “Court-ordered O-P [outpatient treatment] - to follow all recommended treatments.”
That’s not voluntary. And that should be enough.
Also, the page 5 form is listed as “Certification And Order For Involuntary Admission To A Public Or Licensed Private Facility”, not any declaration of actual fitness or a voluntary agreement.
As best I recall, that IS enough to get you barred from owning firearms.
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