A judge has ordered that Akwasi Owusu, the young man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2020 stabbing of three Manchester cops, be released from the state prison psychiatric facility.
On Friday his older sister on said she wanted to apologize to the three Manchester police officers, one of whom was out of work for a couple of months because of his injuries.
“I’m happy my brother is home, but it’s important to say we’re sorry,” said Patricia Aidoo. She said police officers have a stressful, painful job that can hurt them as well as their families.
Her family did not realize her brother was suffering from a mental illness when he stabbed three officers, she said.
In a ruling issued Thursday, Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge David Anderson said Owusu, 21, does not represent a substantial threat to the community and should be released from the Secure Psychiatric Facility.
After the stabbings, Owusu was treated at the New Hampshire State Hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He was eventually released from in-hospital care, returned home on medications and has not been a trouble.
Last month, a jury found him guilty of attempted murder and three counts of felony assault. But Anderson upended the verdict and found him not guilty by reason of insanity.
On Thursday, the judge decided he was not a danger to the community and ordered him freed from the Secure Psychiatric Unit, a facility run by the Corrections Department.
“(State law) clearly contemplates that a person found not guilty by reason of insanity can overcome the presumption of dangerousness,” Anderson wrote in an eight-page order.
“The very strong evidence in this case shows that though there is no cure for schizophrenia, there are tried and true ways to manage it and people can live fulfilling lives with schizophrenia. The overwhelming evidence in this case shows that Defendant is one of those people.”
Anderson said he relied on several factors in making his decision.
• Two experts testified that he has stabilized and was responding well to medication.
• He will continue to be a patient with the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester.
• He lives with family and had no troubles in the two years he was out on bail awaiting trial.
Share your opinion with New Hampshire. Letters to the editor may be up to 250 words. Longer opinions of up to 800 words can be emailed to opinion@unionleader.com along with a headshot.
