18 Year-Old Stabbed His Friend’s 9 Year-Old Brother
On Saturday April 25th in Discovery Bay, California, 18-year-old William Schultz decided to spend the night at a friend’s home after he had been fighting with his mother. During the night, Schultz decided to stab his friend’s younger brother, a 9-year-old, who subsequently died.
“I wanted to see what it was like to take a life before someone tried to take mine”, Shultz told the Contra Costa Times, during an interview that occurred at jail. The newspaper reported that Schultz was calm and smiling as he issued the statement.
Schultz had been suffering from some kind of mental disorder. Earlier on Saturday, prior to the night of the stabbing, Schultz had been hospitalized, but a doctor soon discharged him. Kate Fowlie, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said, “In general, if a person comes into our hospital for psychiatric evaluation, a mental status examination is conducted and if indicated, intervention is provided. In circumstances where a person does not meet the criteria for a psychiatric hold, they are referred for follow-up care and other services”. In other words, Schultz mental status had not appeared severe enough to warrant further attention.
Schultz and the victim’s older brother had been friends since the 6th grade. During the interview, Schultz finally broke down into tears when he was asked if he felt regret. “I wish that I hadn’t. I think about what if that was my little brother. In that sense, I do feel bad. I do have remorse for what I did … But there’s a reason for everything that happens”.
