A Connecticut man accused of murder and cannibalism has been granted conditional release by the state's Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB).
Tyree Smith, who has been confined to Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, was accused of killing a man with an axe in Bridgeport and consuming part of his brain and an eyeball. Despite the gruesome nature of the crime, the PSRB determined that Smith demonstrated long-term stability and had been engaged in his recommended treatments, according to NBC Boston.
Under his conditional release, Smith will remain under structured supervision and continue to receive mental health services. Before being granted this status, he was placed on temporary leave, which requires him to be confined to the hospital but granted daytime passes for community treatment.
"Rehabilitation, not punishment, is the goal for all individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI)," the board said in a statement.
The decision has sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers in the state, who called it "outrageous and mind-boggling."
"His victim’s family raised objections about his release. What about THEM? Where is the justice for THEM?" said state Senators Heather Somers, Paul Cicarella, Henri Martin, and Stephen Harding in a statement.
"This terrible decision puts public safety in jeopardy and is yet another terrible message to send to CT violent crime victims and their families. This person should never be out," the statement added. "We are dumbfounded at this injustice. In what universe is this OK?"
