The Beaumont man who killed his mother over 21 years ago, and was found not guilty by reason of insanity, will remain at a mental institution in East Texas a while longer.
This after Judge Larry Gist delayed the release of 67-year-old Millet Harrison. Harrison has been at Rusk State Hospital since he fatally stabbed his mother, Louise and mutilated her body in 1994.
Doctors had taken Harrison of his medication for psychosis, and his family says that's what led to him having a psychotic episode and saying heard voices telling him to take his mother's life.
Doctors say Harrison has recovered and can continue his treatment on an outpatient basis, at a group home, or similar facility.
As a result, Judge Gist was forced by law to order his released.
The only hitch is the agency in charge of finding a location, has been unsuccessful. An official with Spindletop Center, Cliff Huebel, said his agency was tasked with finding adequate placement (24-hour monitored group home) within our community, but the original location selected decided not to accept Harrison, just days before his scheduled release.
Huebel said additional spots that had been secured in Beaumont and Vidor were deemed inappropriate for Harrison's outpatient care. Judge Gist decided that the Adams House in Beaumont was not appropriately supervised and Hattie's House in Vidor was not a viable option for Harrison's long term success in the community.
Judge Gist also asked Harris County's mental officials to accept Harrison at an outpatient facility there, since that's where he lived prior to killing his mother, but they refused him as well.
In the meantime, Southeast Texas community activist Ricky Jason went before Beaumont city council Tuesday afternoon to ask council members to pressure Judge Gist not to let Harrison out into the community.
Jason compared Harrison to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who cannibalized his victims. Jason told council Harrison would kill again.
But Harrison's niece was also at council, and in an emotional plea, she asked the community to give her uncle a chance. She blames the doctors who originally took him off his medication for the episode that led to him killing his mother.
