Judge expands privileges for man in mom's death

Contradictory portraits of Karl Sneider emerged Wednesday during a lengthy hearing at the Rolling Meadows courthouse to determine whether to loosen privileges for the Palatine man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2003 murder and decapitation of his mother, Kathryn.

Cook County Assistant Public Defender Scott Slonim described Sneider, 34, as a “model patient” at the Elgin Mental Health Center whose mental illness is in remission and who therefore poses no threat to himself or others.

“This is not a request that is made lightly,” said Slonim.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Andre rejected those arguments, claiming “it is simply too soon” to grant Sneider's request for unsupervised access to the grounds of the Elgin Mental Health Center, as well as supervised, off-campus visits.

“To suggest that Karl Sneider is ready for expanded privileges is crazy,” Andre said.

Ultimately, Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Scotillo ruled in Sneider's favor after hearing

concurring opinions from witnesses including EMHC psychiatrist Dr. Hasina Javed and Dr. Matthew Markos, director of Cook County's Forensic Clinical Services.

Slonim described the ruling as the triumph of science and logic over fear and prejudice.

Testimony from Javed, Sneider's psychiatrist for the last four years, dominated much of the lengthy hearing.

“He is compliant with all aspects of his treatment,” said Javed, who has daily contact with Sneider and describes him as a “good role model” for other patients.

According to Javed, Sneider understands his disease which doctors initially diagnosed as schizophrenia but which she has diagnosed as bi-polar disorder with substance dependence and recognizes its triggers. He remains stable, takes his medication and successfully completed a nine-month substance abuse program and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Javed said, referring to Sneider's past cocaine, heroin and alcohol use. She also said Sneider has a job at the facility and that he poses no escape risk. Javed testified that unsupervised ground access does not amount to a “free ticket” allowing Sneider to leave the facility. He will have access to an outdoor path, observed by medical personnel, for 30 minutes up to twice a day during fair weather. During supervised off-campus visits, he will be accompanied by hospital personnel to a local library, shopping center or outpatient substance abuse center for between two and five hours, Javed said. Before he's granted access, Sneider must complete a six-week orientation course and pass a test, Javed said. The next course begins in May. And, if Sneider fails to comply with hospital regulations, he could lose any privileges he's earned, Javed said.

Sneider remained expressionless during cross examination, in which Andre recalled horrific crime scene details that painted a chilling picture of a man who after his arrest told psychiatrists that he heard God's voice telling him that his mother was Satan and that he must kill her to ensure that good triumphed over evil.

Suggesting Sneider remains violent, Andre challenged Javed's assertion that Sneider has complied with all his treatment, pointing out that he was convicted five times from 1993 to 2001 for theft, burglary, domestic battery and other crimes yet failed to successfully complete any of his sentences. Sneider's failure to follow rules then suggests it's unlikely he'll follow them now, Andre said.

Any patient found not guilty by reason of insanity may petition the court for an expansion of privileges up to and including an unconditional discharge from a mental health facility. Psychiatrists may determine that discharge is not an appropriate treatment, in which case the defendant remains at a mental health facility for the term determined by the court following a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity. Karl Sneider is scheduled to remain in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services until May 5, 2062.