JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. — Alice Sage and Nancy Reid-Stockewell have just the stories and the pictures to remember a son and brother killed 12 years ago in Jamaica Plain.
Stephen Reid, 39, was murdered and his wife was arrested and then ruled mentally incompetent to even stand trial, but now she has a court date scheduled for Tuesday to possible reconsider her mental competency.
The victim's family worries that it's a step further away from justice.
"We fear for other people should this individual be released to society," Nancy said.
FOX25 Legal Analyst Brad Bailey said that's not likely to happen. A judge will decide if the suspect is guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity.
"It's a very smart thing for the defense to do. It may be an indication that they're very, very confident," he said.
But it also comes on the heels of a FOX25 Investigates report in May when we uncovered records with the state that showed since 2004, 162 men and women had been committed after being found not guilty by reason of insanity and 85 percent of them are back in the community without guaranteed supervision, including Angela Vasquez.
She was found not guilty by reason of insanity and charged with murdering her 10 and 13-year-old children. She was hospitalized after the verdict, but now she's free. We found her working in a public area at Faulkner Hospital in Boston.
Now, there is little comfort for families like Stephen Reid's.
"I don't want anybody walking on the street who could possibly, in society, be injured or hurt by this person or anybody else who really should not be able to be out in society," Alice said.
Her son's case goes to court Tuesday morning and FOX25 will be there to let you know what happens.
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