Politics
NEW: Confessed Murderer, Cannibal Granted Conditional Release In Connecticut
A man who confessed to killing a homeless man and later eating parts of his brain at a cemetery in 2011 has been granted a conditional release, according to the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB).
Tyree Smith was granted a conditional release by the Nutmeg State’s Psychiatric Security Review Board on Friday, which will allow him to leave the Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, where he has been institutionalized for the past decade. He will remain under supervision and will continue to receive mental health treatment, according to the board.
Smith, who was 34 at the time, confessed to hacking a homeless man to death before later eating portions of his brain and an eyeball. He was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity before being confined to a psychiatric facility.
Now, the PSRB is saying that the confessed cannibal is showing signs of long-term stability and is responding well to medications meant to help with psychosis and hearing voices in his head. Smith’s doctor has described him as “rehabilitated,” according to a report from NBC 10 Boston.
Before being granted conditional release, an individual is first placed on temporary leave status. With this designation, they will still confined to the hospital, but have privileges that generally start with daytime passes to receive treatment in the community, including overnights and weekly check-ins at the hospital, the board said. “Rehabilitation, not punishment, is the goal for all individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI),” the PSRB said in a statement.
“To quote the director there, he is a joy. He is considered a support to the other people there,” forensic psychiatrist Caren Teitelbaum said. “Once he was stable, he was a really calming presence for other patients.”
Tyree Smith’s booking photo
“He has maintained clinical stability. Adhered to the medications and continued to engage in group and substance abuse treatment,” Teitelbaum added. “He also denied visual hallucinations and a desire to harm others or himself.”
The decision has generated widespread outrage, with Connecticut Republicans referring to the decision as “outrageous and mind-boggling.”
“His victim’s family raised objections about his release. What about THEM? Where is the justice for THEM?” senators Heather Somers, Paul Cicarella, Henri Martin and Stephen Harding said in a statement.
“This terrible decision puts public safety in jeopardy and is yet another terrible message to send to CT violent crime victims and their families. This person should never be out,” the statement continues. “We are dumbfounded at this injustice. In what universe is this OK?”
Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, stated that the decision is an affront to the rule of law and serves to undermine civil society. “It’s also a clear violation of human rights by the State of Connecticut,” Bukele posted on X. “The UN may not agree, but the State has the responsibility to guarantee the fundamental right of a human not to be axed and eaten.”
It’s also a clear violation of human rights by the State of Connecticut.
The UN may not agree, but the State has the responsibility to guarantee the fundamental right of a human not to be axed and eaten. https://t.co/GHQqaNjx9F
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) February 23, 2025
