In the ongoing trial of Bryn Spejcher for the manslaughter of Chad O'Melia, a dramatic turn of events unfolded as video evidence shocked the courtroom. The prosecution presented police body-camera footage capturing the gruesome scene of Spejcher, in the midst of cannabis-induced psychosis, stabbing O'Melia to death in his Thousand Oaks condominium in 2018.
The involuntary manslaughter charge stems from the acknowledgment that Spejcher was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis at the time of the incident. Prosecutors reduced the initial murder charge after their medical expert aligned with the defense's assessment of her mental state.
The footage displayed Spejcher kneeling over O'Melia's lifeless body, repeatedly stabbing herself in the neck with an 8-inch serrated knife, despite officers deploying a stun gun and a retractable steel baton.
After allegedly killing her husky, Arya, whom she is said to have loved, Spejcher began slashing at her neck with a serrated bread knife – cutting her jugular vein. Drenched in blood, she continued to slash and cut herself while kneeling over the man bleeding out – despite being shocked over and over by police with a stun gun, body-worn camera footage shown in court. The attempt on her life only stopped after the ninth blow from a police officer’s steel baton, the footage also revealed.
The video prompted strong reactions from the courtroom, with gasps, cries, and shocked expressions from attendees, including jurors.
Opening statements from both the defense and prosecution revealed that on the fateful night of May 27, 2018, Spejcher and O'Melia, a couple in their twenties, had a seemingly harmonious relationship. They had met at a dog park and were enjoying a quiet evening together at O'Melia's condominium. The night took a tragic turn after smoking marijuana, a daily habit for O'Melia but a rare occurrence for Spejcher.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger explained that Spejcher experienced an immediate negative reaction to the marijuana offered by O'Melia. This led to a psychotic episode where she believed she had to kill O'Melia to bring herself back to life.
"She has an immediate negative reaction," Nafziger said, and soon, "things get out of control."
"She thought she was dead," Nafziger said. "She had an out-of-body experience. She could see her own dead body, and she could hear voices, emergency room doctors doing CPR, her family, other voices, unknown voices, telling her that to bring herself back to life, she would have to kill Chad O'Melia."
The attack resulted in O'Melia sustaining over 100 sharp force injuries, including fatal stab wounds.
"The more she stabbed him, the more she felt she was bringing herself back to life," Nafziger said. "After killing Chad O'Melia, she took the large, serrated bread knife and began to stab herself, over and over."
Schwartz did not dispute those facts in his opening statement. He told the jury the graphic photos and videos from the scene "illustrate the depths of the psychotic state Bryn Spejcher was in."
Defense attorney Robert Schwartz did not dispute the facts but emphasized the depth of Spejcher's psychotic state through graphic photos and videos. He highlighted her lack of history of mental illness before that night and argued that her intoxication was involuntary, citing possible coercion or deception by O'Melia.
The trial is set to explore whether Spejcher's use of marijuana was involuntary, with defense witnesses suggesting the presence of high-potency marijuana or other substances in the bong. Despite objections from the prosecution, the judge ruled in favor of allowing these arguments.
During her opening statement, Nafziger said Spejcher's intoxication was voluntary because she chose to smoke from the bong that was offered to her.
"The law says when someone voluntarily ingests an intoxicant and bad things happen, like a DUI, the person responsible is the person who voluntarily ingests the intoxicant and does the bad thing," Nafziger said. "We don't get to blame other people when we do something bad because we wanted to get high."
Schwartz said his client did not actually want to get high. He said O'Melia did not intend for Spejcher to have such an extreme reaction, "but the evidence will show he knew what the potentially devastating effects could be to a novice user … and he didn't tell her that."
As the trial unfolds, the central question for the jury will be whether Spejcher's intoxication meets the legal definition of "involuntary intoxication." If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Spejcher faces a potential prison sentence of up to four years, with the possibility of additional time due to enhancements for using a deadly weapon and exhibiting "great violence."
Spejcher's trial is expected to last a few weeks. She is free on bail and has been since 2018. If she is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, she is likely to be sentenced to up to four years in prison, though her sentence could be longer because she has been charged with enhancements, including using a deadly weapon and exhibiting "great violence."
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