Guilty verdict in death of 9-year-old
Next phase of trial will determine whether killer was sane at time
By Aaron Davis aarondavis@bayareanewsgroup.com
MARTINEZ — Closing the first phase of an emotionally charged murder trial involving the 2015 stabbing death of a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy in his bed, a jury deliberated for 45 minutes Thursday before convicting William Shultz of first-degree murder.
The next phase of the trial will determine the 20year-old’s mental state and whether he knew and appreciated what he was doing and that it was morally and legally wrong. If Shultz is determined to be insane, he will be committed to a state mental facility, as opposed to spending time in prison.
Shultz, who also was found guilty of a weapons enhancement, had shown signs of mental illness before the stabbing and believed World War III was imminent. He was friends with the victim’s older brother and was spending the night at the family’s home when the murder took place.
Shultz admitted to stabbing Jordon “Jordy” Almgren to death in his bed after a night spent playing video and board games at the Almgrens’ house.
In closing arguments Thursday, the prosecuting attorney, Simon O’Connell, outlined eight points to the jury that he thought showed clear evidence of premeditation, deliberation and lying in wait for the murder. During the sleepover, Shultz took his bag that contained latex gloves, a first aid kit and a 5-inch Bear Grylls hunting knife to an isolated location in the basement. O’Connell said Shultz waited until everyone was asleep and turned off the power to the house before removing his shoes and climbing the stairs silently.
Shu ltz debated killing his friend, Evan Almgren, but concluded he might not succeed because his friend was too big. So Shultz continued on to Jordy’s room, entering the fort that Jordy had made over his bed, placing his hand over the sleeping boy’s mouth and stabbing him to death at 3:45 that Sunday morning.
What Shultz didn’t anticipate was Jordy fighting back, kicking so forcefully that Shultz’s knife cut into his forearm, drawing blood that left a trail down into the basement, according to O’Connell.
In interviews with investigators, Shultz said he could not sleep that night because of “all these thoughts.” As he stood over Jordy, he wondered what it was like to take a life and “what things happened in my life, my house and what circumstances brought me there to stand over this kid. I was thinking about the world ending, and I just did it.”
Cynthia Scofield, Shultz’s attorney, presented the jury with evidence of Shultz’s deteriorating mental state. According to Scofield, Shultz had tried to walk to Los Angeles in 2015 and was found by Melissa Almgren, Jordy’s mother, wandering along the road, barefoot and confused.
Shultz had become obsessed with the number 3 and believed signs were everywhere that World War III was imminent, she said. He told police that he took Jordy’s life to see if he could, because he had worried he wouldn’t have the fortitude when World War III started.
Shultz had become obsessed with three books: a collection of Robert Frost’s poetry, the Bible and a three-part graphic novel called “Southland Tales.” In the graphic novel series, the number 3 repeats consistently along with discussion of the end of the world.
Scofield argued to the jury that Shultz was in a manic state from the time he hitchhiked to Los Angeles up to the moment of Jordy’s murder. She said she watched his interviews Wednesday night and counted 54 times that he used the phrase: “I don’t know how to act with these signs of the end of the world.”
Shultz’s mother, Kate Shultz, cried outside the courtroom Thursday morning, saying she tried to have her son taken into custody as a mentally ill person.
“I don’t want sympathy,” Kate Shultz said. “I just don’t want this to happen to anyone again. We need treatment before tragedy.”
Days after the murder, a spokesman for the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office reported that Kate Shultz called the Sheriff’s Office for a mental health check on William Shultz. Deputies determined that he did not meet the criteria for a mental health hold; however, the teen agreed to be taken by ambulance to the county hospital for evaluation and treatment. Shultz said in a jailhouse interview that after two hours of talking with a psychiatrist, he was discharged and sent home in a cab.
The Almgrens had no comment Thursday, but in May, the family sued the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, claiming that Deputy Miguel Aguilera knew Shultz had a hunting knife in his backpack and did not confiscate it. The county’s attorney, Patrick Hurley, argued it would have been illegal to seize the knife under the Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. Contact Aaron Davis at 408-859-5105.