Double Tragedies - Families for Human Rights

The Broken Mental Health SystemWhile victims’ family members ask whether there wereindications that the murder of their loved one could havebeen foreseen and prevented, families of persons with mentalillness who end up committing murder have parallel talesof foreboding and helplessness. These families are tormentedby a dual remorse: that they were unable to overcomethe obstacles to proper treatment of their loved one’smental illness, and that a member of their family was responsiblefor the murder of another human being.“My family has lived in guilt about [my brother’scrime] for a long time,” says Tina Duroy, whose brother,James Colburn, was executed in Texas in 2003 after beingconvicted of the murder of Peggy Murphy. “I’m not saying‘My brother was mentally ill and that was his excuse.’ Butif he could’ve gotten the help that he deserved, thingswould’ve been different.”Tina remembers her older brother, as early as 14 yearsold, showing symptoms of what would later be diagnosed asparanoid schizophrenia. The family tried repeatedly to gethim help, and James was in and out of mental hospitals as ateenager. When he turned 18 and was no longer covered bythe family’s medical insurance, “our grandparents literallydrained their savings,” Tina recalls, “but eventually wecouldn’t afford it.” Out of the hospital and only sporadicallytaking medication, James got in various kinds of trouble, themost serious being an armed robbery conviction for whichhe served seven and a half years in prison.After his release from prison, his mother continued totry to have him committed to a psychiatric treatment facility,but he would spend three days there and then be dischargedbecause he was not determined to be an immediatedanger to himself or others, a common standard used in determiningwhether an individual can or ought to remain hospitalized.Still, Tina recalls, “We knew something couldhappen, and we all walked on eggshells.” James talked insuch a way about the symptoms he was experiencing thatthe family grew increasingly frightened. Tina remembers:He would have command hallucinations tellinghim to do things. He would tell us that a little devilwould eat his way out of his stomach and the devilwould sit there and talk to him and tell him whatto do. One time the devil told him to kill mybrother or my mother.That brother, Billy, underscores Tina’s observation, saying,“That’s why James committed the murder, because thevoices were telling him if he didn’t go back to prison he wasgoing to hurt me or my mother. He didn’t want to hurt us.He wanted to go back to prison and never get out.”Though James was frightened of his own potential violence,his family had a hard time convincing him to takemedication regularly. “Six months is probably the longestthat we saw him on his medication at one time,” Tina remembers.Billy continues:Yes, there were times when I felt like he was on hismedication and doing good, but I don’t know howfamiliar you are with schizophrenia – they get ontheir meds, they’re doing good, and then they thinkthey’re doing so good that they don’t need theirmedication anymore. That’s the way their mindworks. If someone could administer his medicationevery day, he could have lived a normal life. Notgive him a month’s supply and say, “Take it.”In addition to his fears, James, says Tina, “felt terribleguilt about his mental illness.” Remembering her last momentswith her brother, Tina saysHis last statement was, “I won’t be a part of the problemno more.” He looked over at the victim’s familyand apologized. I sat there and watched him take hislast breath, and that will be a memory that I’ll neverforget. Watching my brother be executed was thehardest thing I ever, ever had to do in my life. … Idon’t understand how they can execute mentally illpeople when they don’t try to treat them first.__ 8 __