Connecticut ‘Cannibal Killer' granted conditional release decade after eating homeless victim's eye, brain
Tyree Smith, dubbed the 'Cannibal Killer' by local journalists, was granted a 'conditional release' Friday by the Nutmeg State's Psychiatric Security Review Board — meaning he'll be allowed to leave Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown for supervised jaunts, WFSB reported.
The decision was made after doctors who've been treating Smith said he's been fully rehabilitated, thanks to medications that quelled the voices in his head.
'To quote the director there, he is a joy. He is considered a support to the other people there,' forensic psychiatrist Dr. Caren Teitelbaum said.
'Once he was stable, he was a really calming presence for other patients.'
However, Republican state Sen. Paul Cicarella said he doesn't buy it — and that Smith should not be allowed out into the community.
'Murder and cannibalism and release in the same sentence … that's a problem,' he said in a statement to WFSB. 'That's concerning to me.'
In 2013, Smith was committed to Connecticut Valley Hospital for 60 years, after a three-judge panel found him not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2011 killing and cannibalization of Angel Gonzalez, 43.
Smith admitted to killing Gonzalez — who was homeless — with an ax inside an abandoned home in Bridgeport before removing parts of his brain, one of his eyeballs and several organs.
He then consumed the body parts at Lakeview Cemetery, washing them down with sake.
Gonzalez's sister-in-law, Talitha Frazier, spoke during Friday's hearing and urged the board to keep Smith inside the hospital.
'How do we really know he's not going to do this again?' Frazier asked, according to CTPost. 'He had no remorse for killing Angel.'
Smith, who is a diagnosed schizophrenic, will first receive day passes but will be confined to the hospital's grounds. As he continues to make progress, he'll receive more privileges, like supervised off-site visits.
Connecticut politicians, like Cicarella and State Sens. Henry Martin, Heather Somers, and Stephen Harding said they fear Smith could pose a public threat should he stop taking his medications.
'This terrible decision puts public safety in jeopardy and is yet another terrible message to send to CT violent crime victims and their families. This person should never be out,' they said in a statement.
'We are dumbfounded at this injustice. In what universe is this OK?'
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Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Playbook: Trump's crackdown hits Washington
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Good morning. I'm Zack Stanton. Get in touch. DRIVING THE DAY THE IN-BETWEEN: Yesterday morning, just off of 14th Street NW, a group of masked law enforcement officers arrested a moped driver. Onlookers stood near a coffee shop and the entrance to a luxury condo building, recording the altercation on their phones; WaPo reporter Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff was among them. Shouts from the crowd that the officers — whose vests read simply 'police' — identify the agency with which they were affiliated were dismissed. 'Do I have to answer to you?' one officer barked back, his question rhetorical. 'You've gotta answer to somebody,' yelled a pedestrian. The officers never identified themselves, never provided their badge numbers, never revealed their agency. They took the moped driver into an unmarked SUV and spirited him off, destination unknown. A block away, the weekend brunch service at Le Diplomate continued without interruption. Welcome to the first weekend of President Donald Trump's crackdown on Washington, D.C., which, serious as it has been, is just a prelude — and things could quickly get much more intense. Three Republican-led states — West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina — 'said Saturday they will send up to 750 National Guard troops to join 800 already mobilized in D.C.,' WaPo's Karen DeYoung and Gaya Gupta report. It's not a leap to imagine that other GOP states will scramble to follow suit, given the chance to publicly and tangibly show their support for the Trump administration: 'Trump: Yes or no?' continues to be the dividing line defining American politics. And troops deployed to DC 'are preparing to start carrying weapons in the coming days,' WSJ's Vera Bergengruen and colleagues scooped, 'a major shift that comes days after President Trump said he was deploying them to 'take back' the capital from what he described as violent criminals.' Broadly, there is agreement that this is a city on the brink. The real differences come over why and what sits on the other side. These are the in-between times, when we're in transit from the world that was to the world that will be. For critics of the president, of whom there are many in Washington, what has happened in the city — the effective sidelining of locally elected officials, the federal takeover of the city's police, the surge of National Guard troops, the masked and unidentified federal police officers, the Humvees parked outside Union Station, conveniently located for the cameras — is enough to draw suggestions of creeping authoritarianism. … And yet, for all the outrage, yesterday's protest march from Dupont Circle to the White House numbered only in the 'scores' of demonstrators, per NYT's Alyce McFadden. For supporters of the president's actions, crime in the district is a blaring crisis that merits an overwhelming federal response to avoid something like failed-state status. They point out that crime, while on a downward trend, is unacceptably commonplace (the district's homicide rate is still 'almost as high as New York's at its most dangerous, in 1990,' NYT's Maureen Dowd notes). It demands a round-the-clock response, with FBI agents patrolling the street on foot. … And yet, much of the federal response has been concentrated in some of the safest areas of the city rather than those neighborhoods most devastated by crime. More than half of the district's homicides last year occurred across the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8, The Atlantic's Michael Powell writes; as recently as Friday, they had yet to see much of a federal response, per USA Today's Josh Meyer. Which inevitably raises a question: How much of this is for the spectacle? 'What's happening here in Washington, DC, is just a stunt,' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said this morning on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'Trump didn't like the fact that the walls were closing in on him … and so, true to form, he just decided to create a new news cycle.' There may be an element of that, but the argument also presents something of a messaging difficulty for Democrats: If it's a distraction, why should Americans take it seriously? SUNDAY BEST … — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the war in Ukraine and potential consequences for Russian President Vladimir Putin, on ABC's 'This Week': 'I think ultimately, if this whole effort doesn't work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia. But we're trying to avoid that by reaching a peace agreement. … The problem is this: the minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops. … You've probably just added six, eight, nine, 12 more months to the war, if not longer. … That's what happens if you do that.' — Special envoy Steve Witkoff on the war in Ukraine and the details of a potential peace deal, on 'Fox News Sunday': '[Trump] understands that it is for the Ukrainians to decide how they might land swap, how they might make a deal with the Russians on different territories there. … I think the president supports a peace deal … and he got through almost all of it in Alaska.' 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But critically, handing away more Ukrainian territory than Russia has been able to take militarily, giving it to Russia diplomatically, I think this would, as President Zelensky has said, just set Russia up to attack Ukraine in the future.' TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week's must-read opinion pieces. 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: European and NATO leaders announced today that they'll also be flying to Washington for Trump's meeting tomorrow with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. European leaders hope their rally-around-Zelenskyy effort will help prevent a repeat of February's Oval Office blowup, AP's Samya Kullab and John Leicester report. Who's coming: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will join the peace talks at Zelenskyy's request. Also joining: French President Emmanuel Macron, British PM Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Why they're coming: Trump already backed away from the idea of a ceasefire first, so Europe wants to make sure Ukraine's key red lines aren't crossed — namely, that it won't have to cede huge swaths of territory in the name of peace, POLITICO's Gabriel Gavin and colleagues write from Europe. Ukraine is ready to talk territorial concessions, Zelenskyy told reporters today, but only starting from the contact line of fighting (meaning: not the ever-envied eastern Donetsk region). 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On the ground: Israel is readying plans for a mass movement of Palestinians southward as it prepares to launch its military offensive in Gaza City and greater central Gaza, per AP's Natalie Melzer. Hamas rejected Israel's plans today, calling the relocation a new wave of genocide and displacement,' per Reuters. The plans come as Israeli families grow concerned the new offensive could risk the lives of the hostages who are still alive — a worry that has helped propel a nationwide strike in Israel today, NYT's Johnatan Reiss and Aaron Boxerman report. The crisis continues: 'Gaza's Other Crisis — Not Enough Clean Drinking Water,' by WSJ's Margherita Stancati and Abeer Ayyoub 3. RED LIGHT REDISTRICTING: Texas Democrats are expected to return to the state legislature tomorrow following weeks of protest and a weekend that saw more than 150 rallies across 34 states at which activists blasted Trump's moves to draw new red seats, POLITICO's Shia Kapos reports. 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TECH CORNER: 'Sam Altman's campaign to keep ChatGPT on top,' by POLITICO's Christine Mui and Chase DiFeliciantonio: 'Sam Altman, the driving force behind ChatGPT's meteoric rise, is running a team of veteran political operatives, campaigning to secure his company OpenAI's future. Only in this case, there's no gray-at-the-temples candidate. … Over the past year alone, the world's most closely watched AI company has hired more than half a dozen political insiders who are well-connected to the Democratic establishment … But it underscores how OpenAI sees its deep-blue home of California as vital for its global ambitions — tied to a planned business makeover that the state's top attorney can summarily shut down.' TALK OF THE TOWN Melania Trump sent a letter to Vladimir Putin calling for peace in Ukraine and the protection of innocent children. SPOTTED: Dan Bongino at the AMC in Georgetown last night. MEDIA MOVE — Claire Heddles is joining the Miami Herald as senior political correspondent. She previously was a fellow at NOTUS. BIPARTISAN WEDDING — Meg Makarewicz, chief of staff to Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), got married to Mike Rorke, chief of staff to Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), on Saturday at Saint John's Resort in Plymouth, Michigan. Both Makarewicz and Rorke are proud Michigan grads. Pic, courtesy of Rep. Dingell … Another pic. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) (6-0) … Jon Lovett of Crooked Media … ABC's Brittany Shepherd … Louisa Terrell … former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) … Jamie Gillespie … former Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) … Ron Bonjean of Rokk Solutions … Sonali Dohale … Daniel Penchina … Sabrina Schaeffer of the R Street Institute … Mike Buczkiewicz of 'Morning Joe' … Caroline Boothe Olsen … Philip de Vellis of Beacon Media … Elise Foley … Ben Brody … Fox News' Will Ricciardella … American Trucking Associations' Jessica Gail … Nick Hawatmeh … Andrea Christianson … Diane Shust … Dave Toomey … David Kusnet … Dynamic SRG's Darren Rigger … Rebecca Alcorn of Mindset … Belgian Embassy's Maite Morren … Natalia Latif of New Heights Communications … The Guardian's Ella Creamer Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
GOP-led states sending National Guard troops to D.C.
The Republican governors of three states announced they will send state National Guard personnel to Washington, D.C., at the Trump administration's request. The big picture: The deployment of hundreds of additional troops, who will join the 800 already mobilized in the nation's capital, marks a major escalation in President Trump's takeover. Driving the news: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster authorized the deployment of 200 Guard personnel from his state to support federal law enforcement activities, according to a Saturday statement. The deployment, per his office's statement, comes at the request of the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau and will be funded by the federal government under Title 32. Zoom out: Some 300 to 400 West Virginia Guard personnel will also be deployed to the District at the administration's request, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced. "West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital," he said in a statement. Those troops will be joined by 150 military police from the Ohio National Guard, sent by Gov. Mike DeWine, multiple outlets reported. Catch up quick: Trump on Monday announced a federal takeover of the District's police and deployment of National Guard troops in his push to crack down on crime and homelessness in D.C. Trump's memorandum, signed Monday, directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to coordinate with state governors to authorize additional Guard units as needed. The president has cast his crackdown as an effort to "take our Capital back," describing rampant lawlessness in a city where violent crime is trending down. Zoom in: The D.C. National Guard members — who, unlike Guard personnel in other states and territories, report to the president — have "broad latitude," Hegseth told Fox News Monday, but he noted they won't be involved in law enforcement functions. But if police aren't around, Hegseth said he "will have their back to ensure they can take the necessary action to protect citizens of D.C. and to protect themselves." He said troops could remain in D.C. for weeks or months but emphasized that it's "the president's call." Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters Thursday that those personnel will not be making arrests, but they may "temporarily limit the movement of an individual who has entered restricted or secured area without permission."
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Black mayors of cities Trump decries as 'lawless' tout significant declines in violent crimes
As President Donald Trump declared Washington, D.C., a crime-ridden wasteland in need of federal intervention this week and threatened similar federal interventions in other Black-led cities, several mayors compared notes. The president's characterization of their cities contradicts what they began noticing last year: that they were seeing a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike. In some cases the declines were monumental, due in large part to more youth engagement, gun buyback programs and community partnerships. Now members of the African American Mayors Association are determined to stop Trump from burying accomplishments that they already felt were overlooked. And they're using the administration's unprecedented law enforcement takeover in the nation's capital as an opportunity to disprove his narrative about some of the country's greatest urban enclaves. 'It gives us an opportunity to say we need to amplify our voices to confront the rhetoric that crime is just running rampant around major U.S. cities. It's just not true,' said Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Georgia, and president of the African American Mayors Association. 'It's not supported by any evidence or statistics whatsoever.' After deploying the first of 800 National Guard members to Washington, the Republican president is setting his sights on other cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland, California, calling them crime-ridden and 'horribly run." One thing they all have in common: They're led by Black mayors. 'It was not lost on any member of our organization that the mayors either were Black or perceived to be Democrats,' Johnson said. 'And that's unfortunate. For mayors, we play with whoever's on the field.' The federal government's actions have heightened some of the mayors' desires to champion the strategies used to help make their cities safer. Trump argued that federal law enforcement had to step in after a prominent employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was attacked in an attempted carjacking. He also pointed to homeless encampments, graffiti and potholes as evidence of Washington 'getting worse.' However statistics published by Washington's Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show violent crime has dropped there since a post-pandemic peak in 2023. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson scoffed at Trump's remarks, hailing the city's 'historic progress driving down homicides by more than 30% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year alone.' Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, where homicides fell 14% between 2023 and 2024, called the federal takeover nothing but a performative 'power grab.' In Baltimore, officials say they have seen historic decreases in homicides and nonfatal shootings this year, and those have been on the decline since 2022, according to the city's public safety data dashboard. Carjackings were down 20% in 2023, and other major crimes fell in 2024. Only burglaries have climbed slightly. The lower crime rates are attributed to tackling violence with a 'public health' approach, city officials say. In 2021, under Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore created a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan that called for more investment in community violence intervention, more services for crime victims and other initiatives. Scott accused Trump of exploiting crime as a 'wedge issue and dog whistle' rather than caring about curbing violence. 'He has actively undermined efforts that are making a difference saving lives in cities across the country in favor of militarized policing of Black communities,' Scott said via email. The Democratic mayor pointed out that the Justice Department has slashed over $1 million in funding this year that would have gone toward community anti-violence measures. He vowed to keep on making headway, regardless. 'We will continue to closely work with our regional federal law enforcement agencies, who have been great partners, and will do everything in our power to continue the progress despite the roadblocks this administration attempts to implement,' Scott said. Community organizations help curb violence Just last week Oakland officials touted significant decreases in crime in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, including a 21% drop in homicides and a 29% decrease in all violent crime, according to the midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Officials credited collaborations with community organizations and crisis response services through the city's Department of Violence Prevention, established in 2017. 'These results show that we're on the right track,' Mayor Barbara Lee said at a news conference. 'We're going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here.' After Trump gave his assessment of Oakland this week, she rejected it as 'fearmongering.' Social justice advocates agree that crime has gone down and say Trump is perpetuating exaggerated perceptions that have long plagued Oakland. Nicole Lee, executive director of Urban Peace Movement, an Oakland-based organization that focuses on empowering communities of color and young people through initiatives such as leadership training and assistance to victims of gun violence, said much credit for the gains on lower crime rates is due to community groups. 'We really want to acknowledge all of the hard work that our network of community partners and community organizations have been doing over the past couple of years coming out of the pandemic to really create real community safety,' Lee said. 'The things we are doing are working.' She worries that an intervention by military forces would undermine that progress. 'It creates kind of an environment of fear in our community,' Lee said. Patrols and youth curfews In Washington, agents from multiple federal agencies, National Guard members and even the United States Park Police have been seen performing law enforcement duties from patrolling the National Mall to questioning people parked illegally. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the guard troops will not be armed but declined to elaborate on their assignments to safety patrols and beautification efforts. Savannah's Johnson said he is all for partnering with the federal government, but troops on city streets is not what he envisioned. Instead, cities need federal assistance for things like multistate investigation and fighting problems such as gun trafficking, and cybercrimes. 'I'm a former law enforcement officer. There is a different skill set that is used for municipal law enforcement agencies than the military,' Johnson said. There has also been speculation that federal intervention could entail curfews for young people. But that would do more harm, Nicole Lee said, disproportionately affecting young people of color and wrongfully assuming that youths are the main instigators of violence. 'If you're a young person, basically you can be cited, criminalized, simply for being outside after certain hours,' Lee said. 'Not only does that not solve anything in regard to violence and crime, it puts young people in the crosshairs of the criminal justice system.' A game of wait-and-see For now, Johnson said, the mayors are watching their counterpart in Washington, Muriel Bowser, closely to see how she navigates the unprecedented federal intervention. She has been walking a fine line between critiquing and cooperating since Trump's takeover, but things ramped up Friday when officials sued to try to block the takeover. Johnson praised Bowser for carrying on with dignity and grace. 'Black mayors are resilient. We are intrinsically children of struggle,' Johnson said. 'We learn to adapt quickly, and I believe that we will and we are.'
