A Carbonado man accused of stabbing and killing several animals last fall has been deemed competent to stand trial.
After Daniel Ray Evans, 39, was arrested late September 2022, he was originally denied bail pending a competency hearing, given that the circumstances of his alleged crimes suggested mental illness.
Evans was found unable to stand trial in late October 2022 after being diagnosed with “Unspecified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorder” and was ordered to undergo treatment at Western State Hospital until he could be found competent to stand trial.
Another psychological evaluation, submitted early February, confirmed the diagnosis of an unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder, but officially deemed Evans able to understand the charged against him and the nature of the legal proceedings that will now move forward.
The jury trial is expected to begin March 3, though it is subject to change.
Evans has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty and one count of malicious mischief for the damage he allegedly caused inside the home during the incident on Sept. 28.
According to court documents, Evans took the family German Shepard outside around 1:30 a.m. for growling “for no reason”. His wife wanted to bring the dog back in, but Evans refused.
She returned to the bedroom, but then heard the dog yelp, and went downstairs to find Evans stabbing the dog; it escaped and ran into the house, and the wife was able to arm herself and lock Evans out.
Police arrived shortly after, finding the woman and her children trying to staunch the dog’s bleeding. Officers were able to transport the dog to an emergency vet hospital, with the family following.
Meanwhile, Evans had left the area, but not before killing a chicken.
Police were unable to locate him, but several hours later, officers received a report from a neighbor saying he was breaking into his home and there was a “lot of noise” coming from the house.
Back on scene, police attempted to contact Evans; he initially turned off all the lights in the house and did not answer their announcements, but eventually exited into the back yard, where he was arrested.
Officers then entered the house and heard an animal whining. One officer located a golden retriever upstairs, and it died shortly after of its injuries. Another officer found a white dog downstairs, also dead. Court documents describe large amounts of blood in both rooms.
MENTALL ILLNESS AND CRIMES
Some experts warn that media reports about violence perpetrated by people diagnosed with schizophrenia reinforces the idea that people with the disorder are inherently dangerous.
Some studies claim that those with schizophrenia are 4 to 6 times more likely to commit a violent crime than the general public. However, one 2009 study (“Schizophrenia, Substance Abuse, and Violent Crime”, Journal of the American Medical Association) showed that “the association between schizophrenia and violent crime is minimal unless the patient is also diagnosed as having [a] substance abuse” disorder.
Additionally, another study (“Risks for individuals with schizophrenia who are living in the community”, PubMed), claims those with schizophrenia are 14 times more likely to be the victims of a violent crime than to be arrested for one. The study also noted that for those that were arrested, “poorer social functioning, more address changes, fewer days of taking medication at baseline, and a history of arrest and assault were significant predictors of criminal charges.”
