EVERETT — A Mill Creek man who killed his 83-year-old grandmother will not stand trial for her murder after doctors concluded that he was delusional and hallucinating at the time of the 2015 attack.
Shane Hathaway, 26, has been committed to a state psychiatric hospital indefinitely. He has been living with severe psychiatric problems since he was a teenager. He’s been hospitalized multiple times over the years. Most recently Hathaway was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.
A Snohomish County Superior Court judge concluded in November that Hathaway killed his grandmother and attempted to murder his grandfather but wasn’t sane at the time and can’t be held responsible under the law.
Judge Linda Krese also found that Hathaway is too dangerous to be released and she ordered him held at Western State Hospital, potentially for the rest of his life.
“Shane is severely mentally ill,” his public defender Cassie Trueblood said. “I think everybody involved believes this is the best result of a really sad situation.”
On Jan. 15, 2015, Hathaway told his grandfather he was acting under Barack Obama’s commands to kill. James Sorg, then 83, saw that his grandson was clutching a large butcher knife. The older man attempted to calm Hathaway but his grandson rushed at him. The two struggled over the knife and the older man was cut multiple times. Hathaway admitted that he’d already killed his grandmother, Betty Sorg.
James Sorg was able to push Hathaway out of the room and barricade himself inside. He called 911 for help. Police officers found a 10-inch knife on the floor outside the barricaded door. Betty Sorg’s body was discovered in Hathaway’s room.
Hathaway had fled the scene but was arrested hours later when he returned to his grandparents’ home. He was muddy and covered in blood. 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.
Prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
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.
Records indicate that he was under the care of Compass Health at the time of the attack.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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