The 22-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a Concord woman outside the Penacook Place Apartments in spring 2017 may rely on an insanity defense.
Daswan Jette has pleaded not guilty to alternative counts of first- and second-degree murder in the death of Sabrina Galusha, who police say was stabbed three times including once in the chest. While Jette continues to maintain his innocence, his attorneys have filed notice in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord to preserve his right to present an insanity defense at trial.
Public defenders Caroline Smith and Alexander Vitale said in their motion that Jette’s extensive medical history suggests he was suffering from at least one mental illness or disorder in late May 2017 when Galusha was killed.
“Mr. Jette maintains his pleads (sic) of not guilty and has raised self-defense; however, he also reserves the right to present evidence that he is not criminally responsible for his conduct due to insanity, and that his actions were the product of mental diseases or disorders,” Smith and Vitale wrote.
Jette has undergone multiple mental health evaluations while incarcerated during the nearly two years since his arrest. Years of medical records referenced by two psychologists at competency hearings in October and November show that Jette was hospitalized several times as a child and teenager for aggressive and self-harming behaviors. He also has a lengthy history of diagnoses to include bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, as well as other mood and stress-related disorders.
Despite the deeply complex medical history, Judge John Kissinger Jr. found Jette competent to stand trial on the murder charges after listening to hours of testimony from Dr. Tiffany Piascik and Dr. Robert Joss. The psychologists performed separate evaluations of Jette and reached conflicting opinions about his ability to move forward and work with his attorneys.
“The court accepts the opinion of both psychologists that the defendant has significant mental health issues and cognitive difficulties. Considering the testimony of both experts as well as the evidence presented, however, the court finds the defendant is presently competent to stand trial,” Kissinger wrote in a December order.
Kissinger noted he would consider requests for “reasonable accommodations” that would aid in Jette’s ability to focus and participate at trial.
According to court testimony, Jette has never had a stable place to call home. He grew up in foster homes and group homes after being separated from his mother at birth because he was exposed to cocaine and alcohol in the womb.
In May 2017, Jette was splitting his time between his aunt’s residence in Boston and his then-girlfriend’s apartment in the village of Penacook.
Galusha and three friends – Sam Chase, Madison Campbell and Annika Tidd – had driven to the Penacook Place Apartments on the night of May 30, 2017, to meet Jette who was interested in buying a half-ounce of marijuana, according to Concord police Detective Wade Brown. The friends later recounted to investigators how Jette climbed into the back seat of Tidd’s Chevy Cruze, where he produced a handheld scale and asked that the marijuana be weighed. However, once Galusha let go of the bag, Jette grabbed it and ran, Brown testified at a hearing in June 2017.
The chase led Galusha, Chase and Campbell inside a small vestibule about 100 feet away, according to Brown. The friends said Jette produced a knife and threatened to stab them.
A fight ensued in the lobby, but Campbell, Chase and Galusha were ultimately able to escape back to the Chevy Cruze, where Tidd sat waiting in the driver’s seat, Brown said. Galusha, however, was not able to get her door closed before Jette caught up with them, her friends told police.
Prosecutors allege Jette stabbed Galusha in the chest while she tried to fight him off.
Friends attempted to drive Galusha to Concord Hospital, but her condition rapidly deteriorated, witnesses said. Tidd made it about 2 miles from the apartment complex when she pulled over and called 911. Galusha was later pronounced dead.
Galusha grew up in the Capital City and graduated from Concord High School. Family members and friends described her as a free-spirit and kind-hearted person who loved animals and dreamed of traveling. Galusha had just become a licensed nursing assistant and was looking forward to giving back to her community. She was 23 years old when she died.
Jury selection in the murder case against Jette is scheduled to begin Dec. 16 in Concord.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319 or at adandrea@cmonitor.com.)