Man who stabbed his girlfriend found not guilty

A man who stabbed his female roommate in the neck at their University District home nearly two years ago was declared not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday by a Franklin County judge.

Common Pleas Judge Chris Brown ruled that, based on clear and convincing evidence, Ezra I. Cason committed attempted murder, felonious assault and kidnapping during the attack on March 23, 2017. But he also found that, due to mental illness, Cason did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions.

He based his ruling on a psychologist’s evaluation of Cason, 24. Defense attorney Dan Sabol and Assistant Prosecutor Brian Simms both agreed with the psychologist’s findings.

The next step is for Brown to conduct a hearing, scheduled for March 4, to determine the security level under which Cason will be held at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare, a state psychiatric hospital on the Hilltop to which Cason was committed more than a year ago.

Police said Cason stabbed his then-19-year-old roommate, Melanie Avarez Chica, Cason who was covered in blood when she fled their residence in the 2300 block of Neil Avenue. She told a bystander that Cason had “gone crazy.” When Columbus police Officer Joseph Abdalla arrived, he helped apply pressure to Chica’s neck until medics arrived.

Officers entered the house as Cason ran out the back door. He was confronted by Officer Frank Miller, a 17-year veteran, who fired one shot at him and missed.

Cason continued to run across a field about 200 yards away where he was caught. Police found two bloody knives outside the house.

In December 2017, Brown committed Cason to Twin Valley after finding that he was incompetent to stand trial, meaning his mental illness prevented him from understanding the case against him or assisting his attorney. The judge ruled in December 2018 that Cason had been restored to competence at the hospital, but ordered a psychological evaluation at the request of the defense to determine if he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Although such a ruling prevents a prison term for the defendant, it typically results in a long-term commitment to a psychiatric hospital.