Church shooting suspect has mental illness from Lyme disease

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 8 March 2009 | Joel Currier, Jeremy Kohler and Nicholas J.C. Pistor

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Church shooting suspect has mental illness from Lyme disease By Joel Currier, Jeremy Kohler and Nicholas J.C. Pistor ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 03/09/2009 MARYVILLE — A man suspected of killing the Rev. Fred Winters during a church service in Maryville on Sunday morning had developed mental illness from a tick bite, his family has said. Police did not release the name of the suspect, who was seriously injured in a struggle with members of the congregation after the shooting of Winters at the First Baptist Church. But a source close to the case confirmed late Sunday that it is Terry Joe Sedlacek, 27, who was the subject of a Post-Dispatch story in August about how Lyme disease had attacked his brain.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

That’s the thing, isn’t it? When I go to church I want to worship the old fashioned way.

[knittnmom]

We have her on a waiting list for a specialist in Fond du Lac. They have such a long waiting list, they’re trying to hire an additional Lyme specialist.

Ellendra’s Mom

[knittnmom]

Especially given that he deflected the first shot with his Bible - I could see how the parishioners might have thought it was something to do with using the Word of God to defend against the attacks of the enemy.

[The Anti-One]

A man suspected of killing the Rev. Fred Winters during a church service in Maryville on Sunday morning had developed mental illness from a tick bite, his family has said.

Oh... Ok. That makes murdering someone ok?

[Gondring]

I note rhat he’d been infected with ehrlichiosis, too.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for both of those.

[gracesdad]

You apparently know little about lyme disease. If not caught early or if treatment doesn’t work for you, it can ruin your life.

[gracesdad]

“So now every Terrorist on the Planet can claim to have Lyme Disease and be innocent.”

Pretty hard to fake. There area tests for it.

[Menehune56]

I received a forwarded email last week from a devout friend about a church scenario where masked armed ‘’terrorists’’ invade a church and order anyone not willing to take a bullet for their beliefs to leave immediately. After most of the attendees run out, one of the terrorists shows himself to be the pastor and commends the remaining few for demonstrating their willingness to put their lives on the line.

It wasn’t clear if this was an actual skit or just a fictional story but I get chills now thinking about it.

[gracesdad]

Shoot, I had been betting the perp was a gay Muslim illegal immigrant terrorist liberal who hates Christians. Turns out it’s just another friendly neighborhood deranged guy — just like in all the most recent church shootings.

[gracesdad]

“It wasn’t clear if this was an actual skit or just a fictional story but I get chills now thinking about it.”

If true, I’d certainly never have gone back to the church.

[mom4melody]

Our church produced a modern telling of the Easter Story and we used a gun in place of a sword where Peter chopped the ear on the Roman soldier. We also had Jesus zipped up in a body bag when he was taken off the cross. The sound of that zipper was chilling and that’s all you could hear the congregation was so quiet.

[PurpleMan]

“battle with mental illness” and “avid hunter” in same paragraoh.

Ya think omeone coulda asked, “Do ya think allowing someone battling mental ilnness access to guns might NOT be a good idea?”

[ConservativeMind]

I don’t care. He should get the death penalty.

Someone like this should be permanently off the streets.

I don’t believe in the “insanity defense.”

[worst-case scenario]

Does a person with severe brain damage still have the ability to reason?

[divine_moment_of_facts]

I wonder how many people with Lyme Disease murdered because of it. My guess is one.. Another guess is now it skyrocket.

[a fool in paradise]

Suspect? I sure hope they apprehended the right guy. Wouldn’t want a rampage killer on the loose.

[GodBlessUSA]

can cause paralysis, phantom sensations, visions, voices, all sorts of stuff-- a whole spectrum of brain disease.
Schizophrenia, for example, is possible.

I'm not an expert but I have read a great deal about Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease does cause neurological symptoms. Visions, voices, and schizophrenia is not common at all. The neurological symptoms are more akin to a stroke victim. Cognitive impairments and possibly some psycological/depression. When treated, the majority of cases who have the neurological symptoms (not all do) can be reversed and/or improved.

Is this type of violence possible from Lyme, maybe, but suspect it would be more plausible in a case of someone NOT diagnosed or treated for years, even decades. Mental illness/violence in someone who has been being treated for Lyme well over a decade, (like this person has said to have been) I'm highly suspect. I have great doubt that Lyme Disease alone was the cause that motivated him to do such a violent horrible crime.

If this turns out to be the case, it is an extremely rare exception. It's not right that this article states Lyme as the possibility, without addressing how rare it would be. It leaves the wrong impression of this disease for someone without knowledge and it's only speculative. I'm waiting to see if there is more to this story. Drugs involved? Perhaps.

Very heartbreaking. My Prayers for the family/loved ones of the Pastor.

[DJ MacWoW]

Comparing animals to man is not a good analogy.

[eleni121]

He did it on porpoise.

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Now that’s a “fishy” story...