| Sylvia Seegrist | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Charge(s) | Murder (3 charges) Attempted murder (7 charges) |
| Penalty | Three consecutive life + seven consecutive 10-year sentences |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Occupation | Unemployed prior to conviction |
| Spouse | Never married |
| Children | No children |
Sylvia Wynanda Seegrist (born July 31, 1960) 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 versus individual rights.
Contents |
Seegrist's 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] Seegrist had made herself 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.
Seegrist's 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 30, 1985 she went to the mall. The first trip that day was not the rampage, as 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.
Seegrist 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 Seegrist 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 two-year-old Recife Cosmen who was with his parents waiting to eat at a local restaurant.
Once inside, Seegrist fired into some stores and ignored others. Though many customers fled when they heard the gunfire, she came across Ernest Trout, 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. Augustus Ferrara was the last person killed in the rampage. John Laufer, who did not realize Sylvia was firing real bullets, 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".[4] She had ten rounds left in her weapon's magazine.
Seegrist was deemed competent to stand trial for the killings.[5] 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 who were wounded. The judge had said that Seegrist "should spend the rest of her life in some form of incarceration".[6] She was sent to the psychiatric specialty hospital Mayview State Hospital[7] for evaluation and was eventually moved to the State Correctional Institution in Muncy.
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.[8][9] Seegrist's mother also urged legislators to make changes to the state mental health laws.[10][11] The existence or nature of changes made by the task force is unknown.