Sylvia Seegrist
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| Sylvia Seegrist | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959/1960 United States |
| Penalty | Three consecutive life + seven consecutive 10 year sentences |
| Status | In custody |
| Occupation | Unemployed prior to conviction |
| Spouse | Never married |
| Children | No children |
Sylvia Seegrist is an American woman who on October 30, 1985 opened fire at a Springfield, Pennsylvania shopping mall, killing three people and wounding seven others before being disarmed by a shopper. The individuals killed included two men and a two-year old.[1] She was 25 years old and had been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia 10 years earlier. Having been committed and discharged several times, her case stimulated discussion about the state's authority to commit possibly dangerous people vs. individual rights.
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[edit] Early signs of trouble
Her story parallels those of other mentally disturbed spree killers in several ways such as a tendency toward violent thoughts, discussions, and behavior building to a major incident.[2] She spent a good deal of time at the mall she chose for the 1985 spree, harassing customers and making statements about how "good" other spree killings were, such as the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's massacre.[3] Sylvia had made herself very conspicuous with unusual behavior like sitting fully clothed in both a spa and steam room at a local fitness club. The clothes she chose to wear while doing these, and every other activity she undertook, were green army fatigues.
[edit] Rampage at the Springfield Mall
Her behavior was so disconcerting that clerks at a local K-Mart told her they had no rifles in stock when she tried to purchase one from them. She eventually purchased the Mini 14 at another store, and on October 30th she went to the mall. The first trip that day was not the deadly one, she shopped for Halloween items at a party store and worked out at the club before returning to the Springfield Mall for the last time.
She exited her Datsun B-210, retrieved the weapon she had purchased, and then fired at a man approximately 30 yards from where she stood. The man was not hit and having seen the vehicle his would-be killer arrived in, flattened one of the Datsun's tires to prevent an escape in that vehicle. Meanwhile Sylvia had strode toward the nearest entrance and fired at a woman using a nearby ATM, also missing. Before entering the mall, she managed to hit and kill a two year old child who was with his parents waiting to eat at a local restaurant.
Once inside she fired into some stores and ignored others. Though many customers fled when they heard the gunfire she came across a man who either could not or did not hear it and was simply standing in front of a store where he became one of the three people killed that day. Another man who did not realize Sylvia was firing real bullets, John Laufer, disarmed her as she walked up to him and tried to raise her gun to shoot him. Laufer forced her to a nearby store while he waited for the arrival of mall security. The first guard that responded asked her why she had just done what she did, her reply was "My family makes me nervous". She had ten rounds left in her weapon's magazine.
[edit] Trial
Seegrist was deemed competent to stand trial for the killings.[4] Found guilty, but insane, she was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for each victim killed. She also received seven consecutive 10 year terms, for the seven counts of attempted murder representing those that were wounded. The judge had said that Seegrist: "should spend the rest of her life in some form of incarceration"[5] She was sent to the psychiatric specialty hospital, Mayview State Hospital,[6] for evaluation and was eventually moved to the State Correctional Institution at Muncy.
[edit] Aftermath
Seegrist's actions helped spur the State government to form a legislative task force, in order to address better ways to care for the mentally ill in the community.[7][8] Sylvia Seegrist's mother also urged legislators to make changes to the State mental health laws.[9][10] The existence or nature of changes made by the task force is unknown.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Staff. "A killer still driven by her demons", Philadelphia Inquirer, March 24, 2002.
- ^ The Well-Marked Roads to Homicidal Rage, Laurie Goodstein and William Glaberson, The New York Times, April 10, 2000
- ^ Sylvia Seegrist, Katherine Ramsland.
- ^ Staff. "Seegrist Competent for Trial", Philadelphia Daily News, March 7, 1986.
- ^ Staff. "Curfew pays off for Detroit as Devil's Night fires decline", The Atlanta Constitution, November 1, 1986, pp. A9.
- ^ Staff. "A Flood of Sympathy for Seegrist's Family", Philadelphia Inquirer, November 28, 1985.
- ^ Staff. "Faster Hospitalization Sought for the Mentally Ill", Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 1987.
- ^ Staff. "Re-Revising Mental Health Law", Philadelphia Inquirer, April 3, 1988.
- ^ Staff. "Seegrist's Mother Urges Law Changes", Philadelphia Daily News, September 10, 1986.
- ^ O'Neill, Ann W. "Mom: Help Might Have Prevented Sylvia's Rampage", Philadelphia Daily News, September 11, 1986, pp. Page 12.
[edit] Further reading
- Kanaley, Reid. "Her Demons Stilled, Seegrist Hopes for Freedom," The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 18, 1991.
- Kelleher, Michael D. Flash Point: The American Mass Murder. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1997.
- Lane, Brian and Wilfred Gregg. The Encyclopedia of Mass Murder. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2004.
- Lee, Janis. "Confidentiality from the Stacks to the Witness Stand," American Libraries 19; June 1998.
- Young, Cathy. "When Delusions Beget Violence," Center Right, Issue 29, September 21, 1998.
- Walker, Julien. "Helping to Cope with Mental Illness at Friends Hospital," Northeast Times 2001.
