Lone Star stabber asks for probation
Dylan Andrew Quick was not much different from many other 20-yearolds in 2013. He went to school, spent a lot of time reading and lived with his parents.
What he did not tell his parents was that his mind was filled with deep, dark thoughts that he did not know how to process. He had been thinking about killing people with a blade since he was in elementary school. He had fantasized about cutting off people’s faces and wearing them as masks since he was 8 years old.
When those thoughts became actions on April 9, 2013, Quick stabbed and slashed 14 people with a scalpel and X-Acto knife during a daytime rampage at Lone Star College-Cy Fair.
In what developed into a frantic bloody scene in the Health Science building, Quick attacked more than a dozen students, inexplicably stabbing most in the head or throat as he walked among the students, almost unnoticed. As the blood started to spill and shouts filled the air, he was chased out of the building by students and restrained in a parking lot by a large group.
After his arrest, Quick told investigators about his thoughts, including fantasies about necrophilia and cannibalism, according to court records.
Quick, who appeared in a Harris County courtroom Wednesday in an orange jail uniform and
wears cochlear implants because he was born deaf, pleaded guilty to all the charges connected to the attack — attempted capital murder and two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Facing a punishment ranging from probation to life in prison, the 23-yearold threw himself on the mercy of the court.
Asked if he had been promised anything or threatened by anyone to coerce his admission, the pale redheaded young man watched his sign language interpreter, then told state District Judge Maria Jackson plainly, “Nobody forced me.”
The judge will decide his sentence after prosecutors and Quick’s lawyers submit reports from character references, mental health professionals and victims.
Admitting guilt is the first step, his attorney said, toward asking for probation.
“He’s spent two and a half years in jail, and he’s done a lot in jail to help himself,” Jules Laird said. “He has a long career of not being in trouble. This incident should not be the one thing that puts him in prison.”
Quick can read lips and talk but had problems socializing, Laird said. That situation was exacerbated when he developed obsessive-compulsive disorder, which was diagnosed after he was arrested.
“His parents didn’t know about these issues,” Laird said. “Now that they’re alerted, there are family and friends who can help and support him.”
The lawyer said he has set up mental health care outside of jail if Quick is released on probation. He said Quick has responded well to medication for his condition and was competent to accept the plea deal.
As he was escorted out of the courtroom Wednesday, Quick grinned at his father who was sitting in the gallery and nodded. Quick’s father declined to comment on the case.
Prosecutor Will Cowardin said the victims in the case knew Quick was planning on pleading guilty and will have an opportunity to tell the judge what they believe is an appropriate punishment, either in a letter or by appearing at the sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 29.