The petition filed for a former Effingham man’s release from a Mental Health Center in Springfield has been denied.
52 year old, Gary Schmitt appeared in court on Friday along with his Defense Attorney, Fultz, and Effingham County State’s Attorney Bryan Kibler. According to Kibler, testimony was heard in court for 7 hours on Friday, June 23rd. The Defense presented testimony from two witnesses with the Department of Human Services and Gary Schmitt. Kibler presented testimony from one witness. Following the testimonies, Judge Koester denied Schmitt’s petition for conditional release. According to Kibler, Schmitt has 30 days to file a motion to reconsider or appeal.
Schmitt was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2012 for the murder of Jack Schmitt and the stabbings of Jodi Harris and Lauran Huntington. He is currently being held at McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield.
(Photo courtesy of the Effingham County Jail)
