A man who brutally killed a homeless person and ate parts of his body has been granted conditional release from a high-security psychiatric hospital.
Tyree Smith, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 2012 murder of Angel Gonzalez, had been institutionalized since 2013. He had used a hatchet to kill Gonzalez before consuming portions of his brain and an eyeball. The remains were discovered in an abandoned apartment where Smith had once lived as a child.
Before the murder, Smith had told his cousin, Nicole Rabb, that he wanted to get “blood on his hands” and had ranted about Greek gods. The next day, he arrived at her home covered in blood and carrying a weapon. During her testimony, Rabb revealed that Smith described eating part of Gonzalez’s body while drinking Japanese rice wine, Sake. He reportedly compared the taste of the eye to an oyster and consumed the body parts at a cemetery.
A three-judge panel ruled that, although Smith had committed the killing, he was legally insane at the time and, therefore, not guilty of murder. He was sentenced to institutionalization rather than prison, with an initial order for a 60-year confinement at White Forensic Hospital.
His release, granted by Connecticut’s Psychiatric Security Review Board, comes after doctors testified that his schizophrenia and substance abuse disorders were in full remission.
Dr. Caren Teitelbaum, a psychiatrist at Connecticut Valley Hospital, stated that Smith had been a positive influence on other patients and had consistently adhered to treatment. “Once he was stable, he became a calming presence for others,” she said.
However, his release has sparked public outrage. Lawmakers and the victim’s family have strongly opposed the decision, arguing that Smith remains a risk to society. Talitha Frazier, Gonzalez’s sister-in-law, questioned the reliability of his stability, asking, “How do we really know he’s not going to do this again?”
Several Republican state senators, including Heather Somers and Paul Cicarella, condemned the decision, calling it “mind-boggling” and a threat to public safety. “Murder and cannibalism followed by release—this is deeply concerning,” Cicarella told WFSB.
Although doctors have assured the public that Smith remains stable, they acknowledge that he could become dangerous if he stops taking his medication. Over the past nine months, he had been staying in a supervised community facility as part of his transition plan. Under the conditions of his release, he will continue treatment while remaining under strict supervision.
