Did Seth Winder Kill Richard Hernandez After a Gay Tryst?

September 29, 2008

According to Dallas, Texas police, 38-year-old Richard Hernandez was a creature of habit who "lived a life of consistency."  He had lived in the same northwest Dallas apartment since 1994, and had held the same job for the past eight years at a local Wal-Mart.  When Hernandez failed to show up for work on Thursday, September 4, 2008, his coworkers naturally became worried and called the police.  It was not like him to not show up for work, particularly without calling in and notifying his supervisor.

Shortly after one of Hernandez' friends called the Dallas Police Department and explained how out of character Hernandez' unexplained absence was, an officer responded to Hernandez' apartment, located in the 3900 block of Rosemeade Parkway, to conduct a routine welfare check.  The manager opened the locked apartment for the officer.  When he went inside and saw the massive amount of blood on the living room floor and walls, the officer immediately backed out of the apartment and notified the department's homicide unit.  Detective D.A. Thompson and a crime scene team were at once dispatched to the apartment.

Like the responding officer, Thompson and his team also noted the large amounts of blood on the living room floor and the blood spatter on the walls.  The sofa was also soaked with blood.  When Thompson went into the bathroom, he observed that the bathtub also contained significant amounts of blood along with what Thompson believed to be tissue from someone's internal organs.  It appeared to Thompson that the bathtub had been used to dismember someone, likely the apartment's resident—experience has shown that that's how these cases typically turned out.  Nonetheless, blood and tissue samples were taken from the various locations inside the apartment and sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.

As Thompson conducted a background investigation on the missing man, he learned that Hernandez had no family in the area, and none of his friends could tell the detective anything about his possible whereabouts.  Since the blood and tissue from Hernandez' apartment had not been identified yet, it was possible, though doubtful, that Hernandez might still be alive and that someone else had been killed inside his apartment.  The background probe showed that Hernandez' paycheck had been deposited into his bank account a day earlier, and his debit card had been used late on the afternoon of September 4, 2008, at 5:29 p.m., to make a purchase at a Starbucks in Plano, Texas, a few miles due north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Thompson also learned that the card had been used a little more than an hour later at a Target store, also in Plano.

The manager of the Target store provided Thompson video footage of the transaction involving Hernandez' debit card that depicted an unknown white male who had made the purchase.  That fact, of course, dramatically diminished the possibility that Hernandez might still be alive and increased the probability that he had been killed inside his own apartment.  Armed with a still photograph of the man, taken from the video, Thompson returned to the apartment complex where Hernandez resided and showed it to the manager.  The manager recognized the man in the photo and identified him as Seth Lawton Winder, a 29-year-old man who had previously lived in an apartment at the complex.  The manager also told Thompson that she had seen Winder on the property near Hernandez' apartment at about noon on September 3, 2008, and asked him why he was on the property.  Winder purportedly told her that he was there to visit a friend.  She saw him again the following day and asked him to leave.  Thompson obtained an arrest warrant for Winder on Saturday, September 6, 2008, alleging debit card fraud.

Thompson subsequently learned that Winder had been living outdoors in a wooded area in Carrollton, Texas, also north of Dallas and a few miles southwest of Plano.  Carrollton police assisted their Dallas colleagues and kept the wooded campsite under surveillance over the weekend of September 6-7.  Early Sunday morning, September 7, the Carrollton officers notified Thompson that they had found potential evidence at the campsite.  When Thompson and his team showed up that morning, they found a bloody backpack inside a garbage can approximately 25 feet from the area where Winder had been camping.  Thompson found items inside the backpack belonging to Hernandez and Winder.

After identifying the tent that Winder had been sleeping in, Thompson and other detectives searched it and found a sword and other items that were later determined to have been taken from Hernandez' apartment.  The sword had large amounts of blood on it.

A short time later Thompson located Winder's father, who informed him that his son was homeless but had stopped by his house on Friday, September 5, 2008 to store some items inside his garage.  Winder's father gave Thompson permission to search his garage where they found several items, including a digital camera that they later determined had belonged to Hernandez.  Pornographic images of Winder, shot inside Hernandez' apartment, were found on the camera's memory card.  It was not immediately known when the photos had been taken, or who had taken them.

Winder's father told the police that his son had a fascination with knives, and had attempted to choke his mother three years earlier.  He said he kicked his son out of his house two years ago because he refused to work at a job, and because his behavior had continued to become more severe.

Seth Winder was located and arrested on Monday, September 8, 2008, and was initially held on charges related to the debit card.  The following day, the charges were upgraded to capital murder. Bail was not immediately set, but detectives uncovered a history of prior arrests as well as a history of mental illness.

"The totality of what we have here and what we found leads me to believe that a criminal act has taken place here," said Lt. Craig Miller, commander of the Dallas Police Department's homicide unit.

"I just want to make sure everybody understands that he is insane," Winder's father said after his son's arrest.  "He is mentally ill, and he's been that way since probably early 2000."  Winder's father said that his son had been arrested numerous times, and stated that he had "told the police every single time that he's crazy, and they wouldn't listen."

Because investigators could not immediately determine the location where Hernandez' body parts had been disposed of, they considered the possibility that another person may have been involved due to the likelihood that a vehicle may have been needed to relocate Hernandez' body, or what was left of it.  The cops believe that Winder did not own a car.

Investigators also learned that Hernandez had been an openly gay man, which fueled speculation that he may have been killed during, or perhaps after, a gay tryst with Winder.  Winder's father indicated that his son may have been involved in prostitution, but Hernandez' friends clarified that it would have been out of character for Hernandez to solicit sex from anyone.  Hernandez' friends indicated that it was more likely that Hernandez had been trying to help Winder, and described Hernandez as a kind, generous person.  Similarly, Winder's father said that he did not believe that his son was gay, but indicated that he may have resorted to prostituting himself to survive since he was homeless.  Winder's father said that his son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

"Seth has a real easygoing disposition," his father said.  "It's hard to talk to him because of his mental illness, but he's real easygoing, he's real caring.  He's just a real nice kid except when he has an episode.  When he has a psychotic break, you just don't know what he'll do.  That's the reason I removed him from my home."

Whether Winder makes it to trial or not remains to be seen.  In the meantime the investigation is continuing, and bail was finally set for Winder at $760,504.  It seems likely that an insanity defense will be played out if the case gets to court.

Photo Credits: Dallas County Sheriff's Office

Comments

[Mandy]

Seth was a friend of mine from high school and beyond..this is so hard for all of us to wrap our heads around. Ever since I heard about it from his sister, I've been just sick. I haven't spoken to him since 1998, but from what his sister told me, he's been suffering from some mental problems, I hope the state of Texas considers that. We all know how Texas treats capitol murder cases, and that worries me the most. I feel bad for the victim and his family, but my concerns are for my friend.

[Saddened Friend]

As I stated in another comment after reading a different article. I firmly believe that Rich was more than likely trying to help Seth. From what I have been told by friends at the store where they both worked (Walmart), Seth would occasionally approach Rich when he needed food or if he was looking for a place to sleep instead of camping out doors.

To know that this nice kind man lost his life while doing nothing more then trying to show a kindness to someone who others in society had set aside is the biggest tradegy of all.

[Gary C. King]

In response to Mandy: I, too, hope that the state of Texas takes into account Seth Winder's mental condition. The story, of course, is sad for everyone concerned, made all the more so by the fact that attempts had been made to get Seth psychiatric help, to no avail. Unfortunately there are many people with mental health problems on the streets of America's cities who, like Seth, are never able to get the help that they need. Based on what is known about Seth's background, it seems almost inevitable that he could put on a successful insanity defense. I guess time will tell.

If you have any other information that you'd like to share about Seth, please feel free to do so here or, if you prefer, you can e-mail me personally through the link on this site.

To "Saddened Friend": From everything I've learned so far, it certainly appears that Richard Hernandez was trying to help Seth. However, the mystery of the pornographic photos gives one cause to wonder if they may have somehow contributed to causing Seth to go off the deep end--something most certainly must have set him off. No one should lose sight of the fact, however, that Seth Winder's innocence must be presumed until or unless he has either confessed to the crime of has been convicted in a court of law.

Since you apparently knew Richard Hernandez, or at least know some of his friends and co-workers, anything you care to share as well is welcome here or by e-mail.

Thanks to both of you for your thoughtful comments.

[concerned]

Gary, I would have emailed you personally, but didn't see a link for it on your site. I Know this family and have watched them suffer with a grown mentally ill son for a while now. His father tried repeatedly to get help for his son with any authority he could think of. His mother tried, his sisters tried to help, I tried on many occasions myself. We talked about what could be done to help him. Seth would not accept help for himself or seek it. As an adult, he could not be forced to do so. From what I understand, our current laws don't allow involuntary commitment until after someone has been hurt. We were told time and again he had to be a danger to himself or others. I personally went to the police station with a sword and knives another police dept. took away from him as being illegal to carry on his person and spent a long time with them trying to get someone to listen, telling them he was dangerous in my opinion. The police never acted or perhaps their hands were tied by laws Who knows? His family requested mental health exams when he was in the Denton County jail as we were told by the local police that we could do; however, in spite of the fact he was incarcerated at times for several months, they never, ever acted on these requests. It felt like a lesson in futility to everyone involved. There was a way to have a competency hearing, but the cost was prohibitive for the family at the time. Then, it would still be up to a judge to decide. He spent six weeks in our local mental hospital for an attempt on his mother's life several years ago. He was diagnosed and released by the army for having schizotypal personality disorder in 2005. In his own mind, I suppose Seth did not see himself as sick, but his bizarre behavior around his family was unquestionable. I am working now on trying to get our mental health laws amended for families like Seth's who suffer daily with no options left open to them to help. I am in touch with my state representatives and getting advice from the Treatment Advocacy Center, a group who is working on this issue across the US. I have a petition online that is not doing so well. I'm only asking for the ability for the families to be able to have an EVALUATION done, not lock up everyone. Seth was demonstrably ill, this is just for people like that, not to take away individual freedoms! Everyone in Seth's family is devastated by what has happened. They have great sympathy for the victim and the victim's family. My hope is to somehow possibly prevent such future tragedies by changing or amending our current laws. Thank you. www.ipetitions.com/petition/Law4U

[Gary C. King]

Dear Concerned: Thanks very much for your thoughtful and insightful comments. I'm sure that this is very difficult for everyone concerned. Since you are undoubtedly familiar with the laws that pertain to these situations due to the work that you are doing, is there no longer any way to obtain a mental evaluation for such people, to keep them under wraps for, say, 72 hours to determine whether they are a danger to themselves or others? It seems to me that there previously was a way to do this--perhaps it's done through the competency hearing you referred to and, if so, I can see how it would be cost prohibitive to many people. Perhaps that helps explain why there are so many mentally ill people roaming the streets of our country.

I appreciate your insight on this sad case, and please feel free to contribute additional information as the situation develops. I'm glad that you shared this on the site, but should you ever wish to send me an e-mail the link is in the right-hand column right above "Recent Posts." In the meantime I will check out your petition.

[Saddened Friend]

Thank you for your reply.

First of all, Gary, I will be signing your petition. I agree that for a very long time the mentally ill in our country have needed more help and care than what they currently receive. The problem being for so many of the mentally ill, there are programs and medications that are available. However, they often do not like the way the medications make them feel, so once they are no longer in a facility they stop taking their meds. Add to that, homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse and you have a very sad situation indeed.

Yes, I knew Richard, and yes, I know many of his co-workers and friends. You are asking about "pornographic" photos that were found in Seth's possession. I have wondered about that as well, but, until this case either goes to trial or the police state specifically what these are - the world at large is left to wonder. They could be photos that Seth himself took while inside Richards’s apartment? In thinking back to the friend that I knew and loved, I cannot believe that there would have been any kind of pressure on Richards’s part. However, again, we are dealing with a man (Seth) who is not in charge of his (full) mental capacity. What might mean nothing to us could have indeed as you say "set him off."

From my understanding, and yes, it's heresy as remember, Richard is no longer here to ask; yes, he did occasionally help Seth out when asked. He was known to give him money for food or even gave him food, as well as a sofa to sleep upon on occasion. However, he was not allowed to stay in the house once Rich left to go to work. So, was Seth asked to leave and that caused him to snap? Again, it will always remain a mystery. Rich is no longer here and Seth is unable to reply. Personally, the most disturbing fact that came out was after the crime was committed was the action of pure mundane behavior. Going shopping at a Target and Starbucks. Yes, I agree that obviously this man was not in his right mind; but, to go shopping? Have a cup of coffee?

Again, I stand by my statements above in regards to our mental health services. I will in fact sign the petition. But, I also have to ask how "out of it" could he be if he 1. Had the forethought to murder a person that was trying to help him, that had helped him in the past, 2. Dismember the body, 3. Discard the body parts so that even the police are saying that it is a lost cause in hoping for any recovery, 4. Steal the persons keys to lock up, 5. Steal the persons debit card to then go shopping. Add to all of that, he is very mobile - if you look at the map, Carrollton to The Colony is not an easy distance to walk. So, did he have a vehicle? Or did he steal Rich's? All of these are things that I wonder.

Sadly, this last weekend, Rich's family was in town. Closing up his final belongings. How sad is that? After reading the article, about the apartment being a virtual slaughterhouse, to know that his surviving family had to go into that and pack up what was left breaks my heart. I hurt for the Mother that cannot bury her son.

I hurt for Seth's family in knowing what pain their son caused; who in fact also lost a son to mental illness and very realistically more than likely the death penalty as he has been charged with Capital Murder.

A very sad situation indeed, no matter how it is is viewed.

[Gary C. King]

Dear "Saddened Friend,"

Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful and informative comments regarding this sad, tragic case. You have raised a lot of valid questions that need answering. Hopefully all of these issues, and more, will be addressed during the course of the investigation.

[Timothy]

From my experiences around Seth's family and Seth himself, I've noticed a lot about his father's attitude towards his son. In truth when the police came to his house that day in search for Seth himself, they were EXPECTING to be displayed on a show. Its not truthfully known if seth did or did not kill richard but in truth they are still wondering if there was someone else in the area. I spoke to his dad on the day with me and my family checking in on him to make sure things were alright. We noticed the officers that were searching for Seth were happily being recorded on film for a show which made us pretty ticked off at the situation. We're not sure if seth would kill but our entire neighborhood believes that Seth may had been a little mentally ill but in no way do we believe he'd down right kill someone. WE do believe that there are some people known for abusing homeless people and we're wondering if Richard was actually using Seth more like a hooker because of the fact that Homeless people are desperate to survive even if it means working as a prostitute. To point this out though Seth went through multiple health services and was even admitted into the military services. At first he wasn't going so well but he worked well behind the desk but sadly he was already in the process of being discharged by the time they discovered he worked better behind a desk then rather in physical training.
As for the fact that some people are confused why he went shopping and bought coffee from starbucks well let me explain this. He had literally no idea what the heck was going on. In fact the only reason he believes he is in jail is because he couldn't keep up with his probation from a much lesser crime. I pray now for his family and for seth that this may all be a misunderstanding but too much had been pushed against seth for him to just get away now.
His family had tried so much and the only reason why he became homeless was when he started to steal from them. So please understand it wasn't his family's fault for his condition or why he ended up in that situation.

Let it be known though from that day on I have now an extreme hatred for the Colony police force and some news reporters who continued to harass his father.

[Saddened Friend]

I will not dignify the comments/questions of Rich possibly using Seth as a prositute. Again, this is a person that did not resort to such activity.

That being said, I'm a bit saddened by the last post begging that people "do not blame Seth's family."

I have yet to see where any one HAS blamed his family. I have read other sites, and other remarks and they are all the same. Although many people are of course saddened by the loss of Richard Hernandez - they have also expressed great sadness for the family of Mr. Winder. No one is blaming his family. Not at all. The only "blame" that I have seen thrown about is on a very broken system. A system that Mr. Winder's family tried using, and a system that if I'm not mistaken his family is hoping to help fix.

Again, my feelings stand on all counts and that is I hurt for BOTH families. The very real tradegy in all of this is that at the end of the day? Two families lost their sons.

[concerned]

To saddened friend, I do have to say that there were a lot of posts on various sites blaming Seth's family, one even posting his father's name and address trying to get others to do something to him. That is what really upset me and I did notify the site, they said they never monitored their site and I asked them to remove it and they did. I also notified the local police. The person who made the post you are referring to has made many assumptions that are just that. If I could, I would explain the situation to you personally instead of publicly. Lets just say I am close to the accused's family. I have worked all angles I could think of regarding changing the laws, now that I have contacted everyone I could think of, all I can do is wait and see if anyone considers new legislation in our county. Bexar County has the model program in Texas for helping in these cases. If we could only get our state reps to look into possibly implmenting that type of program here and throughout
Texas, maybe things like this could be prevented in the future. I'm really sorry about what happened to your friend. I wish to extend my condolences to you and to his family. No one wanted such a thing to happen. I would not make assumptions about your friend. I have talked personally to one of Rich's good friends and I know he was a caring person .I'm sorry he fell victim to this awful act. I hope someday you can find peace somehow in it somewhere. I hope that laws do get enacted so this will not all have been a horrific tragedy for your friend. I'm so terribly sorry. I knew something bad would happen someday and I wish it could have been prevented, but going to law enforcement all the time was not the right way to go, no one knew really what to do anymore.

[Saddened Friend]

Dear Concerned,

Thank you for your expressions of kindness and sympathy. Let me quantify my earlier statement regarding not reading of blaming of Seth's family. I should have said, on major news sources no one has cast blame on the family. However, after reading your post and looking at "blogs" that are out there, I must admit it breaks my heart for Seth's family as many people had some mean things to say about his family not doing more.

There is only so much a parent/family can do if the person of concern is a legal adult. In a situation like such as this is where the break down often begins. From my understanding even if the family were able to have such person committed, as a legal adult, he/she would be allowed to sign themselves right back out. I do believe that if a person is in such a state that their family makes the earnest attempt of having them evaluated by going through all proper channels, i.e., contacting local police, local MHMR chapters, medical relief, etc. that a full evaluation must be done and they are not given the option of checking themselves out of such commitment until the evaluation is complete.

Of course it then leads into the next conundrum of: if they are found to need treatment, then what? Will they receive the treatment needed so that is not a heavy financial burden for their family? Many of whom I am sure are just like me (and possibly you) in that they are working hard daily just to make ends meet. Is there any potential for other kinds of programs be developed to get help to these people?

On another topic, I am glad that you have been reading the other sites and blogs. There is absolutely NO reason why the Winder family, inclusive of both immediate and extended members as well as close friends should be harassed in such a manner. As I have stated above, I have deep sympathy for both families as they have both lost a child, just via different routes. I'm sure in many ways too, if you think about it the Winder family will more than likely lose their son three times over. First to mental illness, then through the possible trial procedure and if found guilty? Life imprisionment or the death penalty. Additionally by the same token, each part of this process will drag the Hernandez family through this terrible act as well.

Lastly, thank you for your sympathy it is much appreciated. I have signed the petition, and I feel that if perhaps by this act the laws will be changed for the better and benefit of the people? Then perhaps we can make some positive impact for others by getting them the help they need before something such as this was to happen again to another person.

[Concerned]

Saddened friend and Gary King,
Thanks for your post again. Thanks for your understanding as well. I do have some good news. In Bexar County in Texas, they have a model program that should be put in place in all Texas counties! They have a crisis intervention center open 24 hours a day to help with the mentally ill. They have a superior crisis intervention training center for the police and sheriff's employees. They receive extensive training on how to deal with the mentally ill. They also have outpatient programs that are supervised to make sure these people stay on their medications. Those that are charged with misdemeanors who are found to be mentally ill are moved within ten days to a treatment program. This actually saves the county lots of money by getting them removed from the jail. County commissioners must recognize that mental health is an issue that will not go away. Monies need to be set aside for jail diversion programs, treatment and assessment. In the long run, it saves money for the counties. Legislatures hate to spend money on things like this, but the problem will not go away. There are hundreds of Seths out there, some will murder innocent victims and some will wander our streets without help and they themselves may become victims. Families with mentally ill adults suffer daily because they cannot do the things that need to be done due to the costs for private interventions and the state won't act until its too late for someone like Richard Hernandez to be saved. So to all our reps and state senators and legislators and county commissioners, please, please listen. Please look at Bexar County in Texas and please, please see what good they have done. Think of the good you could do in Denton County or Dallas County or any other county in Texas. Please help make things better for the future!

[Knew Seth 2]

I want to know why Seth was not receiving disability from government if he was discharged from military for that reason. My grandfather was discharged from military for the same reason and we found out a couple years ago he is eligible to receive disability payments from them. It never should have come down to this. If his parents or anyone else has been so concerned they should have done more. From what I have researched in the time since all this happened, there is more that should/could have been done.

[Concerned]

Seth was only in the army less than three months before discharge, he never went through basic training. It takes some time to qualify for benefits. Numerous attempts were made to help him, more than you will ever know. The laws are messed up. I've talked to lots of people in Denton County and Denton County is really awful about helping people with mental illness. Seth would never seek help for himself. I even tried to start social service processes that he qualified for, but he would never follow through. Got the applications, etc to give him, he would not follow through with phone appts., which was all they required. Maybe he was just that incompetent mentally, but I'm not even a family member and tried and tried everything I could think of to help. They don't even have a county hospital in Denton, Flow Memorial closed years ago. Its very true that those who could have helped never paid any heed to those of us that were begging for help. It was ongoing for years and I witnessed and was part of repeated attempts at trying to get help. His sister would try to drive him to places where he could have gotten help and then halfway there, he would just tell her he changed his mind, that happened numerous times and that is just a for instance. You cannot force an adult to do anything and that is what everyone was told time and again unless threats were made to harm someone else or himself. That was the only time they said they would intervene, i.e. the police and or sheriff's office, the probation officer, etc.

[joe]

drugs?

[Concerned]

He did some illegal drugs according to his family if that is what you mean, no one really knew what he was up to the past couple of years, he would never ever tell them the truth. As far as psychiatric meds, I don't believe he ever really took them. He was in the mental hospital for six weeks in 2005 after attacking his own mother. I think he was given some things in there, but was non compliant in following through after he got out. He didn't think he needed help. So many mentally ill people think they are perfectly sane. They can't recognize their own sickness. That is why we need laws that will allow family members to help their mentally ill adult members get hey help they really need. They are actually incompetent and do need outside intervention. I guess after talking with my government officials' offices, that it has got to be done on a state by state level or county by county like Bexar County in Texas with their jail diversion program. If only the state of Texas would put that model into usage statewide, it would actually save the taxpayers money and help the really mentally ill people get the help they actually need and can't do for themselves.

[Seth's Mom]

No one has heard from me until now. I love Seth. I raised him and know him. Seth's problems began to surface earlier than anyone really knew. It seems that since 5th and 6th grade Seth was deteriorating in some ways. I had him evaluated and at the onset, he was evaluated as having social phobia. He is shy and very kind and always ready with a smile. He did not like attention drawn to him. He would do his homework perfectly and then forget to turn it in. His IQ was extremely high. He wrote poems and drew pictures. I have volumes of Seth's writings. Many do not make sense but to Seth it does. He experienced depression with extreme paranoia. Some of the more personal issues he had I will leave out with regard to the medications he took once he was a teenager and beyond. He was evaluated so much at my request by the LISD (Lewisville Independent School District and actually for them I had evaluations as early as 1st grade), by our family doctor, psycologist, psychiatrist and the United States Army. As the years went by I felt very worried and scared of how to help him. He had more than 41 jobs in his young working life! The longest job Seth ever held was at Walmart. He worked there for a little more than four years but most jobs lasted between one or two days to a few months, etc. We as a family tried everything we could to help my Seth but all of us feared he would not live a full life. We all worried he would be hurt, hurt himself or be killed early in life. Seth was not able to carry on a normal conversation. He would drift off as if somewhere else. Yes, He did try to strangle me to death in 2005. This happened not long after the Army discharged him. He still believes when he writes me (we write each other daily to weekly) that he will go back into the Army or that he will go to college and get a degree. He does not even remember why he is in jail. He did not remember he tried to hurt me! Even when he is told his memory goes awry. I learned with schzophrenia that the same part of the brain that you and I see each other and talk with each other is the exact same part of the brain that a delusion is seen and it is very real to the ill person. Seth really began to have schzophrenic symptoms in his very late teens and early twenties. This is very typical. It causes impairment in reasoning, delusions, hallucinations, disordered speech, disorganized behavior and thought. If anyone of you saw the movie with Russell Crowe called "A Beautiful Mind" based on the true story of Dr. John Nash. You will understand what Seth is like. This is my son. My only son. I hurt, my heart is broken. His sisters hurt. I never dreamed that a murder charge would happen to him. I cry for my son and for Richard's Mom and family.
Please try to rent the movie to try to see how the human brain works with this illness. Seth needs medication for life. I've seen him while on medication and he is great. But schzophrenia illness causes people to think that they are perfectly fine. Therefore they do not think they need medication.
The Grand Jury met last Thursday to look at Seth's case. I haven't heard yet. I have a phone conference set up with his lawyer tomorrow. Please pray for Seth and for all concerned.
Thank you for your work Gary C. King. I have never been on a blog much less writing on one. But I picked yours.
Also, I know some of your previous bloggers just by the writing. I do not know them personally but some members of my family do know them. Thank you for everything.

[ex-social worker]

Gary, you've asked about how to get a person committed temporarily and if that's possible without incurring huge expense to the family.

Laws for this are different in each state, but when I was a social worker in Florida, only certain members of the community could do this and it had to be shown that the person was a danger to themselves or others. Police, doctors and psychiatrists are among that group. Sometimes this stuff just falls through the cracks and nothing is ever done. But the reasons behind this countries many mentally ill homeless are numerous. Laws, funding, number of mentally ill in an area in proportion to the number of beds available, closing of facilities (usually related to funding) which dumps a lot of people out on the street who then usually end up in jail. It's a cycle repeated frequently. Very sad.

[Saddened Friend]

I was looking to see if there was any information as to the status of thie case. With the holidays and all, Rich had been on my mind. There is still a small memorial for him at Walmart, and from my understanding his family will not have a funeral for him as there was no body recovered.

I hurt in my heart as well for Seth's Mother. She tried all that she knew to do - as she states above. She has lost her son as well, and when she shares the fact that her son thinks he is going to "get out and go on to college or return to the Army" shows how very little we still know about this mental illness. It is all very sad.

Two families - loss of two sons.

I wish them both peace.

[tommy young]

what goes around comes around

[Brock]

Whoa, i just saw this story on the first 48 episode.

[Decatur]

This is such a sad case for both families involved. To all of you interested - this tradgedy was featured on the A&E cable channel show "48 Hours" tonight (Jan01) at 8pm and it looks like it will be repeated later at midnight CST.

[Saw First 48]

I saw the First 48 tonight, about this case. Very sad case. The police certainly didn't think Seth was insane. I don't think they really care, one way or the other. It's just another conviction to them. They have become comfortably numb. That's how the mentally ill end up rolling thru the system over and over again. I've seen it so many times it makes me cry. It started with Reaganomics and just got worse and worse. When I was growing up in San Francisco in the 70's, mentally ill people didn't walk around for very long before they ended up in an institution, involuntarily committed. Now you can see the same sick people, shouting and talking to themselves, seeing hallucinations, fighting imaginary enemys, for months and months. When they disappear it's because they are in jail. Then they get out and end up back on the streets, usually in the same place as before. Victims like Richard and Seth will continue to happen until we as a people say 'ENOUGH!!' Let's fund the institutions for these unfortunates, like our fathers did before us. Before the 'smaller government' people, the 'faith-based initiative' people had their way. When will we quit counting on the jails and prisons to solve our mental health crisis. Think about it people.....

[Jon King]

Seth was very sane when he used the victims debit card and just told the cops "I don't know" in the interview. He is a cold blooded killer who should get the death penalty.

[Joanne]

I just watched this case on 48 hrs. This story was so tragic it peaked my curiosity, which led me to this site. I am a nurse and I have seen many patients come to the ER with Schizophenia, some stories are un-imaginable. My family worked in a mental hospital back in the 50's and 60's. I am afraid that since the closing of these facilities the mentally ill wind up exactly like Seth. Many people are in jail, where they are unequipped to treat mentally ill patients. Insurance companies, lobbyists and the gov have overlooked the insane. This is not a Texas problem, its a US problem. I am sad for both families and the friends trying to help. I am also sure I am not the only one who was impacted by this case. Good luck to all of you for forging ahead with helping Seth, and caring for the victims family.