Hearing Scheduled on Potential Release of Gary Schmitt

A hearing is scheduled in June in Effingham County on the potential release of Gary Schmitt, the former Effingham man who killed his father in Effingham and attacked a mother and daughter in Edgewood.

(GARY SCHMITT)

Schmitt was found not guilty by reason of insanity in October 2012 for the murder of Jack Schmitt and the stabbings of Jodi Harris and her daughter Lauran Huntington. Jack Schmitt's death occurred in June 2010, while the attacks on Harris and Huntington occurred in January 2011.

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said Schmitt's attorney is petitioning for Schmitt's conditional discharge. Gary Schmitt is being housed at McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield.

Judge Kimberly Koester returned the verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity at the conclusion of stipulated bench trials on the two offenses. She will also preside at the hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, June 9.

At the time the verdicts were returned, the judge reviewed psychiatric examinations of Schmitt conducted by doctors for both the defense and the prosecution. Both doctors had indicated Schmitt was fit to assist in his defense, but both also said his psychosis at the time the murder and the stabbings occurred did not allow Schmitt to understand the criminality of his actions. Schmitt was dealing with schizo effective disorder. He had been undergoing treatment, including periods of hospitalization, and was on medication for his illness, but acknowledged he had not been taking his medication or had been cutting the dosage at times prior to the incidents.

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said much time is being taken to prepare for the hearing, with a goal of the request for release being denied.

During the stipulated bench trials, former State's Attorney Ed Deters presented evidence that Schmitt told authorities he hit Jack Schmitt several times in the head with a rock he had brought from his home in Troy. He said his father was ill and was suffering from cancer. He said a coworker had gone through chemotherapy and he didn't want his father to go through the same thing.

Schmitt's admission that he killed his father came when he was being questioned about the stabbings of Harris and Huntington. Harris had found Schmitt's Facebook page and remembered him from high school and sent Schmitt a friend request. Schmitt accepted and they spoke by phone and said they would get together sometime. Schmitt arrived uninvited at Harris' home but was asked in when he showed up. After a few minutes, he asked Harris for a drink of water and when she went to get it, Schmitt came up behind her and began stabbing her with his hunting knife. When she heard her mother's screams, Huntington came out of her bedroom and tried to stop Schmitt and that's when he began stabbing her. Huntington ran out of the house, screaming for help. A next door neighbor, Todd Yocum, came to the house and hollered at Schmitt, asking what he was doing. Schmitt had fallen but when he started to get up, Yocum went out of the house and called police for assistance. In the meantime, Schmitt walked out of the house, got in his vehicle, and drove away.

Schmitt went to his mother's house in Effingham and gave his mother the knife and also told her that he had killed his father. He said, "God had told him to do this."

Authorities at the time of the stabbings said there was no evidence of any reason for Schmitt's actions other than his psychosis.