Mentally ill man not admitted to hospital, charged with mother's murder [View All]

This is such a tragic story. Failures in our health care system have real consequences.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090924/NEWS01/909240371
Cayuga Heights murder suspect held in mental hospital

ITHACA -- Two Tompkins County psychiatrists sent murder suspect Ian C. Butler to a central New York mental-health facility after examining him Thursday morning, according to his attorney Scott Miller.

Though he declined to reveal the results of the examination or the exact location of the facility, Miller said that "we have a man here who is not making up his mental health issues."

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Based on his discussions with the family, Miller said that Ian Butler has a long history of mental illness, and that he and Carol Butler tried unsuccessfully to have him admitted to Cayuga Medical Center about 12 hours before she was found dead.

Butler has about three psychotic episodes a year, and he was having one when they tried to have him admitted to the hospital and at the time Carol was found dead, Miller added.

Butler was tearful and appeared emotionally distraught during his first arraignment in Cayuga Heights Village Court, and repeatedly said he was hallucinating as Galbreath tried to conduct the proceeding. He said that he lives in Harlem, is unemployed and was visiting his family. Galbreath asked if he understood what was happening to him, and Ian replied, "I kind of do. I'm going to ---ing jail."

After cautioning him not to say anything if he was hallucinating, Galbreath said he wasn't confident Butler understood what was happening and adjourned the arraignment until that evening so Butler could confer with an attorney.

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