Man accused of murdering his mother and putting her body in a box was released from custody due to flawed evidence

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A schizophrenia patient suspected of murdering his mother and stuffing her corpse in a box has been released from custody because of a flaw in the evidence and could return to the streets of New York, it has been revealed.

David Drummond, 30, was transferred from the custody of the city’s Department of Correction earlier this month and ordered by a judge to undergo a mental health evaluation at Bellevue Hospital, where he is currently being held, according to an official who spoke to condition of anonymity for security reasons. fear of repercussions.

But Drummond, accused of murder, could be released onto the streets if he is cleared after the assessment, the nervous official said.

“The (assistant prosecutor) said he didn’t have enough to charge him. He will literally be in the community when we let him go,” the worker said, noting that Drummond has “a long psychological history.

“We don’t have a good option. He cannot stay in hospital indefinitely, but it is not safe to release him into the community,” the source added.

Drummond, who sources said suffered from schizophrenia, was charged with the murder of his mother Shirley Awer, 67, after a social worker showed up on Nov. 4 at the East Flatbush apartment shared by the victim and her son and found her corpse stuffed in a cash register. .

The suspect reportedly told investigators that he had hit his mother, a police source said.

But an autopsy to determine whether she was struck and whether that or something else caused her death has not yet been completed due to the decomposed state of the remains, according to prosecutors and sources.

“The cause of death is unclear. Without an autopsy, they cannot confirm the claim that he hit her,” said a source with knowledge of the case, adding: “There is a possibility that she died of natural causes.

“It’s not normal for an autopsy to take so long, but the body was decomposing so it’s taking longer,” the source said.

Without the autopsy report, prosecutors were unable to pursue the case and present it to a grand jury to vote on an indictment, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

While the case was stuck in limbo, on Nov. 9, a judge ordered Drummond removed from the DOC-run Bellevue forensic unit where he was being held, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office said.

Drummond was now housed in a civilian facility in Bellevue for his court-ordered mental health evaluation, but the hospital official noted that, by law, he cannot be kept there indefinitely if he is not considered a threat.

“We cannot hold potentially dangerous people indefinitely,” the official said. “Mental hygiene law is strict and there is a high standard for involuntary impairment. The person has to present an immediate danger to keep them in the hospital – not just a potential threat.

“Therefore, if someone poses a danger to society and is credibly accused of a crime, then they should remain in (city Department of Correction) custody,” the worker said.

“The judicial system and the judicial system are dropping the ball,” the worker accused. “They are trying to sweep this under the rug.

“It has happened before where they released someone who was violent and placed them in a civilian facility, compromising patients and staff, and passing the responsibility onto hospital staff to keep them out of the community,” the official added.

Drummond’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 22.

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Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com