Texas College Stabber Charged with Assault
The alleged Texas college stabber has been charged for his violent attacks yesterday that left 14 people injured.
Twenty-year-old college student Dylan Quick was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was ordered held on $100,000 bond for each of the 14 charges, reports ABC News.
Quick is accused of going on the stabbing spree at Lone Star Community College near Houston and he reportedly told authorities that he fantasized about stabbing people to death since he was an elementary school student.
In an apparent confession, Quick told authorities that he planned the attack for some time. Witnesses describe the incident as Quick running around and slashing other students around campus in the face and neck with what appeared to look like an Exact-O knife, reports ABC.
The attack ended when several students chased down Quick and tackled him. Of the 14 victims, 12 are in the hospital and two are in critical condition. Fortunately, no one died in the incident.
Quick now faces very serious charges of assault with a deadly weapon. In Texas, someone charged with this crime can face up to 20 years in prison. If Quick were to receive 14 such sentences and be ordered to serve them consecutively, he could effectively spend the rest of his life in jail.
Still, despite the violent acts and apparent confession, if charged, Quick still may avoid criminal conviction. Given his statement that he has been fantasizing about the act since he was a child, Quick may be able to argue the insanity defense.
With this defense, Quick may try to argue that mental illness prevented him from knowing right from wrong. However, it's still unknown if Quick has a history of mental problems and if his defense will offer the insanity defense.
Related Resources:
- Suspect in Texas college stabbings interacting well with investigators (CNN)
- The Insanity Defense: How Insane is Enough? (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Could James Holmes Claim Insanity? (FindLaw's Blotter)