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Man found not guilty by reason of insanity in stabbing
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A man on trial for a December 2013 stabbing was found not guilty by reason of insanity Monday.
After a short bench trial in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, Judge R. Scott Krichbaum committed Richard Wilson, 57, of East Philadelphia Avenue, to a mental-health facility for eight years after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity on a charge of felonious assault.
Judge Krichbaum said he rendered his verdict after a mental-health expert testified for the defense that Wilson did not know his actions were wrong when he stabbed an adult family member in the stomach.
Judge Krichbaum said under the law, Wilson is serving a “civil commitment” because he was found not guilty. The term of confinement is the same as the maximum term for felonious assault, which is eight years. During the eight years, the judge also will oversee Wilson’s treatment.
Wilson was on trial for a Dec. 2, 2013, stabbing at his home in the 500 block of East Philadelphia Avenue. Reports said police were called about 5:15 a.m. for a report of a shooting and instead found a woman on the front porch with a stab wound.
Reports said the woman was bleeding from the stomach and said a man inside, whom she identified as Wilson, was in the home with her 2-year-old child.
Reports said police had to break the door down to get inside. They found the child in a room by herself and unharmed.
Wilson was arrested without incident and told police the knife he used was in an upstairs bedroom, reports said.
Reports said officers found a large amount of blood inside the house as well.
Wilson has been in the Mahoning County jail since his arrest.