EVERETT — Shane Hathaway was delusional and hallucinating last year when he allegedly stabbed his 83-year-old grandmother to death and tried to kill his grandfather, according to a new forensic psychiatric evaluation.
Hathaway told his grandfather he had to kill because President Barack Obama said so. James Sorg, 83, fought off the younger man and barricaded himself in his room. Police officers found a 10-inch knife on the floor outside the door. Betty Sorg’s body was discovered in Hathaway’s room. She had more than 30 stab wounds to her neck and head.
Hathaway, 26, has had severe psychiatric problems since he was a teenager. He’s been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. He’s been hospitalized several times over the years. Hathaway was under the care of Compass Health at the time of the attack.
His defense lawyer planned last week to ask that Hathaway be acquitted of the murder and attempted murder charges based on his mental state during the slaying. A psychiatrist hired by the defense concluded that Hathaway was experiencing auditory hallucinations that reduced his ability to control his behavior.
“Because of his psychotic state of mind and his impaired judgment, Mr. Hathaway was unable to perceive the nature and quality of the acts and tell right from wrong,” Dr. Fabian Saleh wrote in a report to the court.
An evaluation by two state psychologists was less definitive. They suggested that there is evidence that Hathaway knew right from wrong. There also is evidence that his mental illness impaired his ability to understand what he was doing.
“The degree of impairment necessary to render an individual ‘insane’ at the time of a crime is rightfully under the purview of the trier of fact,” the evaluators wrote.
Hathaway was scheduled last week to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorney, Cassie Trueblood, intended to ask that Hathaway be committed to Western State Hospital, possibly for life, instead of prison.
Trueblood told a judge Friday she couldn’t go forward with the motion because Hathaway had stopped talking. He wouldn’t answer her questions, and he declined to speak with a social worker from Trueblood’s office.
“In the past two weeks Mr. Hathway’s condition has quickly gone down hill,” the public defender said.
Hathaway is being held in the observation unit at the jail. He’s lost more than a 100 pounds since his arrest. He’s become unresponsive, Trueblood said. Jail staff are concerned about his condition and have been closely monitoring him, she said.
Krese agreed to send Hathaway to Western State Hospital for another evaluation to determine if he can assist with his own defense.
His attorney and jail staff will request an expedited admission because of Hathaway’s severe symptoms. Hathaway appeared disheveled at two hearings last week. He stared at his hands and didn’t say anything.
“Mr. Hathaway is pretty nonresponsive this morning,” Krese said Friday.
Hathaway is charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for the Jan. 15, 2015, attack. Hathaway told police he’d used methamphetamine the day before. He also told his father he was suicidal and wasn’t taking his medication, court papers said.
Hathaway is accused of killing his grandmother first and then going after his grandfather. The older man suffered cuts to head, chest and hands during a struggle. He avoided being stabbed in the throat, court papers said.
Hathaway had threatened to harm his grandparents in the past. Betty Sorg called 911 in 2014 to report that her grandson had grabbed her arm and screamed at her. She asked him to turn down his music and tried to help him clean up a spill on his desk.
Mill Creek police arrested Hathaway, and he was charged with fourth-degree domestic violence assault. The city prosecutor requested that Hathaway be prohibited from having contact with his grandmother.
The defense attorney he had at the time objected, saying Hathaway was living with his grandparents and would have to find somewhere else to live. District Court Judge Jeffrey Goodwin declined to issue the no-contact order. The charge later was dismissed.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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