The man arrested in connection to the fatal stabbing of woman in downtown Detroit was hospitalized just two months prior for “acute psychosis” and concerns he could hurt himself or others.
Jaquoya Wix, 34, of St. Clair Shores,died Sunday, Sept. 20, in what the city's mayor described as a seemingly unprovoked attack by someone "suffering from severe mental health issues." A suspect was arrested shortly after Wix's stabbing, and though no charges have been announced, court records reveal the man in question had a mental health status that troubled health providers earlier this year.
The Free Press isn’t naming the suspect since he hadn’t been charged as of Tuesday afternoon, but confirmed the man's identity through a police source who requested
anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release information.
The stabbing suspect, a man in his 40s, landed in a Trenton emergency room on July 3 after he was “acting out at a coffee shop,” appeared “psychotic,” and was “making nonsensical statements, like, ‘I’m on menopause,’” a nurse wrote in a petition to have him hospitalized for mental health treatment.
Subsequently, a doctor at the psychiatric facility Havenwyck Hospital in Auburn Hills recommended the man’s hospitalization due to his mental state and checked a box on a report indicating the man could “reasonably be expected within the near future to intentionally or unintentionally seriously physically injure self or others, and has engaged in an act or acts or made significant threats that are substantially supportive of this expectation.”
The doctor wrote that the man had exhibited "paranoia rambling speech" and described his actions as “irrational and not predictable," diagnosing him with Schizoaffective disorder.
Symptoms of the disorder include hallucinations, delusions, mania, and depression, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
A judge on July 13 ordered the man to 180 days of treatment including hospitalization – a maximum of 60 days – and assisted outpatient treatment.
The man was not present at that hearing, according to court filings. That same day, a Havenwyck hospital employee had asked for his appearance to be waived because he refused to attend, and transporting him against his will could put him and others at risk for harm.
The police source confirmed to the Free Press that the man had been released in August.
An attorney for the man could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and a representative from the facility did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Downtown Detroit stabbing suspect worried doctors months ago
