New York Post

She stabbed him 108 TIMES- but only got probataion

- By RICHARD POLLINA and SELIM ALGAR

A California woman who was convicted of killing her boyfriend by stabbing him 108 times during a “cannabisin­duced psychosis” received a slap on the wrist Tuesday.

Bryn Spejcher, 33, was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service after being found guilty of killing her boyfriend, Chad O’Melia, 26.

O’Melia’s father, Sean, blasted the decision, telling The Post: “There is no respect and no responsibi­lity for anything anymore.”

Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Worley had earlier ruled Spejcher “had no control over her actions” when she entered into a psychotic episode and stabbed O’Melia repeatedly in his Thousand Oaks apartment on May 28, 2018.

Experts for the prosecutio­n and defense both found the marijuana bong hit threw Spejcher into a deadly psychotic episode.

“From that point forward, she had no control over her actions,” Worley ruled, according to the Ventura County Star.

After Spejcher had killed O’Melia, law enforcemen­t found the woman covered in blood, hysterical­ly crying next to her boyfriend’s body, still gripping the knife.

She then repeatedly plunged the knife into her throat when police attempted to disarm her. Spejcher also stabbed her dog, according to the Star.

Spejcher’s lawyers argued their client — an inexperien­ced pot smoker — became “involuntar­ily intoxicate­d” at the time of the killing after O’Melia had pressed her to take a second bong hit, the Star reported in December.

Under California law, a person is seen as responsibl­e for their actions when impaired by drugs or alcohol unless their intoxicati­on is involuntar­y.

The Ventura County District Attorney had initially charged Spejcher with manslaught­er, before a new DA downgraded the rap to involuntar­y manslaught­er. Jurors took less than four hours to find Spejcher guilty of involuntar­y manslaught­er.

“She was given a free pass for murder,” the victim’s father said. “That judge just gave everyone in this state the license to kill.”

 ?? ?? HIGH CRIMES: Bryn Spejcher will not go to jail for killing boyfriend Chad O’Melia (inset below) and injuring herself (inset left) in a vicious stabbing attack — because she was involuntar­ily high on marijuana. Spejcher was sentenced to two years’ probation Tuesday.
HIGH CRIMES: Bryn Spejcher will not go to jail for killing boyfriend Chad O’Melia (inset below) and injuring herself (inset left) in a vicious stabbing attack — because she was involuntar­ily high on marijuana. Spejcher was sentenced to two years’ probation Tuesday.
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