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Ex-Palatine man who decapitated mom gets supervised release

A former Palatine man who decapitated his mother 13 years ago will be allowed to live in a supervised facility in Waukegan, a judge ruled Thursday.

Karl Sneider - whose troubled past has included drug abuse, mental illness and past felony convictions - was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the Jan. 28, 2003, murder of Kathryn Sneider, 49.

Initially assigned to a maximum-security mental health facility in downstate Chester, Sneider, diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was transferred to the Elgin Mental Health Center in 2006. He has been allowed supervised excursions outside the center since 2010.

Cook County Judge Bridget Hughes granted Sneider conditional release to Lake Park Center, a supervised, long-term care facility for people with serious psychiatric disorders. She ordered him to continue treatment, including medication and therapy, and submit to a random urine test every two weeks. He may not leave the facility without supervision, although he will have an opportunity to earn additional privileges.

"The defendant is not being released into the general public without any supervision. It's quite the contrary," Hughes said.

Three psychiatrists testified over two days that Sneider, 39, has complied with treatment for 13 years with no side effects, shows no evidence of remission and does not pose a threat to himself or others.

"Every doctor agrees he has been in remission since 2006," said Hughes. who also expressed sympathy for the victim and her family.

"To say she was tortured is an understatement," she said of Kathryn Sneider's brutal murder and her life with her mentally ill son. "I'm sure her life was difficult."

Karl Sneider told psychiatrists after the murder that he heard God's voice telling him his mother was Satan and he killed her to ensure that good triumphed over evil.

Sneider remains "a dangerous human being and a threat to the community," argued Cook County assistant state's attorney Mike Gerber.

Referring to psychiatrist Dr. Richard Maris' testimony that Sneider's drug abuse affected his mental illness, Gerber stated Sneider failed every drug treatment he attempted until he was institutionalized by the state.

"When he's guarded, when he's secure, he's not a danger," said Gerber. "When this man relapses he becomes violent and he becomes dangerous."

Gerber said Lake Park, which has neither security guards nor metal detectors, lacks the security measures the Elgin Mental Health Center has.

The transfer request came from the Illinois Department of Human Services, which indicated Sneider no longer requires inpatient treatment.

Hughes pointed out that she cannot deny the transfer request for fear he might relapse or use drugs. To do so, she said, "would be an abuse of judicial discretion."

Lake Park administrator Bryan Livings testified that staff members monitor residents throughout the day and at night and no resident has ever escaped. Five residents are there on conditional release, two of them found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, Livings said.

Defense attorney Mark J. Heyrman expressed confidence that his client poses no threat to anyone. He cited Sneider's participation in therapy groups without being ordered, good behavior and adherence to Elgin Mental Health Center rules as evidence of his commitment to treatment.

"There's no reason Karl can't have a successful life after being an inpatient," he said, "but that's a ways down the road."

Recidivism among such defendants is lower than any group, said Heyrman, a mental health law expert. He said no client of his who was found not guilty by reason of insanity ever committed another crime.

"Most serious mental illnesses are highly treatable," he said. "This one has been successfully treated."

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