A California woman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter over a 2018 incident in which she allegedly killed her romantic partner while in a marijuana-induced psychotic state.
The woman, 32-year-old Bryn Spejcher, was originally charged with murder, but the Ventura County District Attorney reduced the charges in September. She had pleaded not guilty.
News of the conviction was previously reported by KTLA.
According to a police press release, in May 2018 Spejcher had traveled to the apartment of Chad O’Melia, “whom she had been dating for a few weeks,” and the two took hits from a bong.
Spejcher had a rare adverse reaction, officials say, and flew into “what experts call Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder.” She fatally stabbed O’Melia more than 100 times with a bread knife and “repeatedly” stabbed herself, too.
When the cops arrived, O’Melia was lying in his own blood, while Spejcher was “screaming hysterically with a knife still in her hands.” In front of the officers, she stabbed herself in the neck, leading them to taser her and strike her several times with a baton.
O’Melia was pronounced dead on site.
In a statement following the conviction, Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger said, “This was a hard-fought case where the victim’s family had to wait a long time for justice and I am grateful for the jury’s verdict.”
This week the court will hear additional arguments related to special allegations and enhancements. The special allegations include a crime involving “great violence” and one that “indicates a serious danger to society.”
