'I murdered someone, but you're going to have to find him'
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The woman suspected of killing a fellow patient at Eastern State Hospital pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in Spokane County District Court and was ordered held on $1 million bail.
Court documents show that patient Amber Roberts, 30, led a staff member to the man's body by playing a game of "hot and cold." Authorities claimed she approached the worker early Tuesday morning and said: "I murdered someone, but you're going to have to find him."
According to documents, the staff member searched room to room, with Roberts following and saying: "You're getting warmer."
As the staff member approached the room of 56-year-old Duane E. Charley, Roberts said: "You're hot."
The staff member looked inside and found Charley's body. Roberts said she had strangled him with an electrical cord, the documents show.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner identified Charley, of Grant County, as the man found dead at Eastern State, which is located in the suburb of Medical Lake. He died of strangulation, the medical examiner concluded.
The slaying occurred in the hospital's 31-bed forensics unit, a co-ed ward where criminally insane patients are housed. Roberts has been institutionalized since 2004, after a judge declared her legally insane for attacking a 72-year-old Yakima woman and stealing the woman's car in 2003.
Charley came to the hospital in 1994, after he was acquitted by reason of insanity of taking indecent liberties in a Grant County case.
According to court documents, Roberts entered Charley's room and strangled him, then told Charley's roommate: "Don't say anything or you'll be next."
John Wiley, a spokesman for the state Department of Social and Health Services, said staff who have worked there for three decades cannot recall another homicide at Eastern State. The department operates the hospital.
Roberts appeared in court via video feed from the Spokane County Jail. She wore handcuffs with her hands behind her back. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder.
Until Amber is declared legally dead, others will continue to be dead victims of her legal insanity.
Fox news?! Fox "news" is hardly a credible source for anything these days. Nitrox, I'm sorry, but you"ll have to do better than that.The russians had a network like Fox called Pravda. Both have very low credibility.
The thing that bothers me most about this (other than a man was murdered) is that the staff member did NOT call someone else to help. Â There should have been someone else there in case it went so much worse than ONE death. Â
@Sharon Blevins Pilgrim There are 2 staff on the unit at night.m One on the floor, the other in a security room/nurses station. Each has a varity of duties and it is possible the one on the floor was at oppisite end of the unit. Also, a patient like Amber may or may not have been referring to something delusional (crying "wolf" with false stories)Â And the amount of experience, training of the floor staff had or did not have is not known. Often night staff have the least experience. There are many pieces to this puzzel including medications, compliancy to meds, other issues....
This is creepier than the creepiest horror movie I've ever seen. Imagine if, by some mistake, you ended up in that place. o.O
How about a nice game of "Stand on the trap door" Amber?
Just to enlighten some of you; It is not under the same laws or regulations as a jail or prison. It must follow federal and state mandates and regulations for hospitals. It must also follow state laws governing patients in the hospital setting. They are human beings and they have rights just like you and I. She will probably be put on a one to one status where some one will follow her 24 hrs. a day everyday.Â
Wonder if Charley took 'indecent liberties' with Amber resulting in his death? Possible.
Thank God I don't have to deal with these people. God bless the staff at these facilities.Â
@Heisenberg Thank you. It is a difficult task. It is "The Dark Side" of life. Very stressful and traumatic. This lady may be held legally responsible (or not) depending on a lot of factors, but Blevenangles is correct. ESH and WSH fall under a different set of rules and court decisions
A co-ed ward for the criminally insane, where they seem to be able to get out of their rooms and enter the rooms of other patients in order to commit crimes against them? Yeah, this sounds like the perfect set up for a whole host of unspeakable crimes to occur.
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It seems obvious that there's not a lot that can help this woman in an institutionalized setting except more restriction of freedom (in other words, keep her in a locked room most of the time like she would be in jail).
 @spacegoddess To seclude a patient in a mental hosp. (lock them in a room) requires immediate behaviors that endanger self or others. It requires a doctors order and assessment every few hours, an hourly nursing assessment,and a staff person to watch the patient constantly and document every 15 mins. Please remember they are human beings with an illness.
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@Blevnangels @spacegoddess Same in my world where I work. Hospitals are guided by a morass of state and federal rules, the Hospital accredadations and a long history of court decisions, not to mention tremdous over site by rights organizations such as DRW and ACLU, NAMI among others
@Blevnangels @spacegoddess I am sure the family of the victim are saying "Oh the murderer is a human being with an illness, nevermind" I believe the murdering of another human being is an immediate behavior that endagers self or others.
One drain on society kills another. Don't see a problem here.
"I'm crazy and I know it......"
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Why is it that I picture her jumping up and down with excitement and clapping her hands, when the body was found? This lady is clearly not all there. I have no idea what would be best for her, but I do not think it will be good to hold her in jail. She needs to be somewhere that doctors can monitor her every move and try to help her.
As long as DSHS runs anything there will be problems.
@K00lGuy Sorry. Private for profit outfits do not want to deal with this type of "problem" patients. The few Forensic Hospitals that are privately owned are very selective. The more dangerous, complicated, difficult cases are always passed on to the state. Private companies don't want the liability and there is no profit in the business.
@K00lGuy I can not agree with you more. I am dealing with one in particular regarding my foster son. The caseworker has been caught numerous times in lies, does not inform you of anything. ect. ect. ect. I have called her supervisor and am waiting for a return call. That was last Thursday. I will call the director of DSHS, if I do not receive a return call by the COB on Monday. There are things going on with this caseworker, that should not be taking place. If need be, I will get the media involved in this before long. She is vindictive, rude, and if you call her out, she punishes you some way. I can go on. Her best interest is not for my 15 mo. old foster son. DSHS needs a MAJOR overhaul.
@neets458 Child services of DSHS is not the same department as MH and the state institutions. Sadly, there is greater over site and accountability in the large state institutions than there is in CPS and other "community services"
Neets 458 are you in Pierce? sounds just like our case worker!!!! if yes woild like to see if it is the same so maybe we could provide more that just 1 case to there superviser and hope for a faster change.
 @neets458 I just want to say Thank You for being a foster parent. That is such a hard job to do. I am all for any child to be with their parent, but sometimes someone with a kind heart has to step in, and help for the parents to get well again. People that are foster parents are the most amazing people. You are a hero to these children. Thank You so very much. There is a jewel in your crown.Â
She is in a mental institution for being insane. I'm curious how much it will cost the tax payers for this case to go through the court system only to have it found that she is insane again??
@achoo2 In reality, less that one might think: First the county would have to be willing to press charges. That does not happen automatically. If they do, a "Competency Evaluation" is the first step. That only determines if she would be competent to particapate in her legal affairs. If not, she is returned to the hospital. If she is, then comes a decision about Insane at the Time of the Crime. can she is she aware of right/wrong and her actions? If not, she is NGRI and she goes back to the hospital usually as a plea deal, they almost never go to court as a jury trial. What will probably happen, she will be transferred to WSH in Lakewood. Just shift the problem.
 @achoo2 In this case, (which is very very rare for me) I wonder why even bother to have a trial. She's obviously insane. Do they REALLY need a 'guilty but insane' verdict in order to lock her in smaller quarters for the rest of her life?
@Commenter87643 @achoo2 There is no "Guilty but Insane" rule in this state. And in truth very few of the patients that are currently locked up in the state hospitals have gone to a jury trial. Almost all have been plea deals with no trial.
 @Commenter87643 Why subject countless staffers to her over the duration of her lifetime. Just take her out back and doubletap to the back of the head. Cost effective and staffing friendly.
 @Commenter87643 Ever stop and think maybe its the humane thing to do to this crazy lady? What quality of life will she have while being medicated into a zombie, sitting around drooling and staring at the wall paper? She has proven she is a danger to people around her, why make other people risk themselves around her? If a dog is dangerous, you put it down. If a rabid raccoon is endangering a neighborhood, its put down. So wouldn't the HUMANE thing to do for the innocent HUMANS around her be to put her down?
@Insomniac Dreams @Barlion @Commenter87643 @SilverGryphon We do live in that society already. Here is one article about it http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,392962,00.html and another example, it is called abortion on demand, don't believe that, listen to the arguements for it, mostly they are it would be a cramp in someone's lifestyle or a drain on society.
 @Barlion  @Commenter87643  @SilverGryphon I am more than happy to have my tax money (and yours) go to support mental health services, even in cases like this where I suspect there is no hope of recovery.Â
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If I follow your logic all the way down the slippery slope, you would be going around shooting anyone that you deem to be a drain on society, but then when that is done, someone higher up the food chain will decide that you are no longer productive and do the same to you. Is that the world you want to live in?Â
 @Commenter87643  @SilverGryphon Then you pay for her bills commenter. That would be the "humane" thing to do by saving the rest of us a little tax money.
 @SilverGryphon Because MOST of us are actually HUMAN and value HUMANE actions.
 @Commenter87643  @achoo2  That would be too logicalÂ
@Commenter87643Â Â Â Â Exactly.