4/11/2017 Henrico man accused of murdering his parents on Easter is found not fit to stand trial | Crime | richmond.com
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Henrico man accused of murdering his parents on Easter is found not fit to stand
trial
By SEAN GORMAN Richmond Times-Dispatch Apr 6, 2017
W. Brissette
A mental evaluation has found that a Henrico County man accused of killing his parents on Easter last year is not competent
to stand trial on capital murder charges.
The evaluation, which was done by a psychologist at the University of Virginia, found that William Roy Brissette, 23, suffers
from schizoaffective disorder and is unable to assist his attorneys, said Doug Ramseur, Brissette’s lawyer.
During a brief court hearing Thursday, Judge James Stephen Yoffy ordered that Brissette be sent to Central State Hospital in
Petersburg to see whether medication and treatment can make him competent to stand trial.
In February, questions about Brissette’s competency led Yoffy to postpone the June trial in the case; a new date has not been
set.
Schizoaffective disorder combines elements of schizophrenia with other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and
depression, Brissette’s lawyer said.
Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said Thursday that prosecutors accept the evaluation’s findings.
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4/11/2017 Henrico man accused of murdering his parents on Easter is found not fit to stand trial | Crime | richmond.com
Taylor is seeking the death penalty against Brissette in the shooting deaths of his mother, Martha B. Brissette, 56, and his
father, Henry J. Brissette Ill, 59, on March 27, 2016, The prosecutor has said her decision was based on the “vileness” of the
crime and the likelihood of “future dangerousness.”
But advocates for the mentally ill have urged Taylor to reconsider that position. Kathy Harkey, the executive director of the
National Alliance of Mental Illness of Central Virginia, told Taylor in a February letter that she personally knew William
Brissette’s biological grandmother, the late Miriam Blevins, who served on the group's board of directors.
Harkey said Blevins, as well as the defendant's mother, would have found the death penalty to be a “cruel and unusual”
punishment in this case, adding that they would have instead wanted Brissette to receive treatment for his condition.
sgorman@timesdispatch.com
(804) 649-6885
Sean Gorman
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