A California woman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Friday in the 2018 death of her boyfriend after she stabbed him over 100 times during a “cannabis-induced psychosis.”
The jury took less than four hours to find Bryn Spejcher, 32, guilty of killing her partner Chad O’Melia as she sobbed during the court appearance, according to KTLA 5.
The couple had only been together for a few weeks when Spejcher attacked O’Melia after she took two hits from his bong — a smoking device regularly used for marijuana — in May 2018.
Spejcher then went into a psychotic episode and stabbed her new boyfriend 108 times, eventually killing the 26-year-old. She also stabbed herself repeatedly, officials said.
Officers arrived at O’Melia’s residence in Thousand Oaks the following morning to find Spejcher screaming hysterically next to her boyfriend’s blood-soaked body, still holding a knife.
O’Melia was pronounced dead at the scene.
When the responding officers attempted to disarm Spejcher, she plunged a bread knife into her neck, according to law enforcement.
Spejcher also stabbed her dog during the rampage, according to the Ventura County Star.
She was charged with the special allegations of using a deadly weapon, a crime involving great violence, violent conduct that indicates a serious danger to society, and being armed with and using a weapon in the commission of the crime.
While there was no argument during the trial about whether she killed O’Melia or if her psychosis was legitimate, the trial revolved around whether her cannabis intoxication was voluntary.
Spejcher, whose defense said she was an inexperienced pot smoker, took the first hit but never got high, prompting O’Melia to tell her to take another, according to VC Star.
The prosecution said she had an immediate negative reaction to the second hit and had to go to the bathroom in a panic.
Spejcher allegedly told investigators that she then began hearing sinister-like voices in her head before stabbing him to death a little after midnight.
Under California law, a person is seen as responsible for their actions when impaired by drugs or alcohol unless their intoxication is involuntary.
Spejcher’s involuntary manslaughter conviction typically carries a sentence of around four years in state prison.
She’ll be back in court Monday to face hearings over four ‘enhancements’ to her verdict that could see her sentence raised.
Despite prosecutors wanting to have her remanded into custody, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Anthony Sabo denied the motion. She will be free on bail until that hearing is complete.
Sean O’Melia, Chad O’Melia’s father, was in the courthouse on Friday to watch his son’s killer face conviction and told VC Star that he’s grateful for all the work prosecutors and police have done, but doesn’t consider the outcome “justice.”
“I just want my son back, and that’s not going to happen,” the father told the outlet outside the courtroom following the verdict. “Ultimately, there are only people that have taken a loss here. There’s no winning here,” Sean O’Melia said.
