‘They gave anyone who smoked marijuana a license to kill’: Family of man fatally stabbed 100 times by his girlfriend outraged as she avoids jail time – after judge rules she was so high she couldn’t do her actions control

The family of a man murdered by his date after she stabbed him more than 100 times have expressed their outrage after the California woman was sentenced to just 100 hours of community service without jail time.

Bryn Spejcher, 33, was given the lenient sentence after psychiatrists said the incident was ‘100 per cent’ caused by cannabis-induced psychosis, which she suffered after taking two hits from the victim’s hookah.

The judge ruled that Ms. Spejcher “experienced a psychotic break with reality” and “had no control over her actions” when she killed Chad O’Melia, who was 26 years old at the time of his death, over Memorial Day weekend 2018 .

O’Melia’s family cried as the verdict was read in Ventura Superior Court, with the victim’s father warning that it “gave anyone who smokes marijuana in this state a license to kill.”

And several members accused Spejcher of employing a “victim blaming” defense when she claimed the victim pressured her to smoke the potent marijuana that triggered the episode.

Outside the courthouse in Ventura, Chad O’Melia’s brother cried for his loved one

The victim’s father, Sean O’Melia, told the court that Chad’s mother had died shortly after his son due to the excruciating pain caused by her grief.

Lu Madison, a longtime friend of the O’Melia family, said they were frustrated with the legal proceedings and felt the outcome was predetermined and their victim impact statement ignored.

Many members of the O’Melia family advocated “justice” by sentencing Spejcher to several years in prison.

Mr. O’Melia’s father, Sean, said he initially planned to forgive Spejcher because “in order to heal, I have to forgive.”

However, he admitted that the family feuds in recent years have “taken away my mind’s ability to live in forgiveness.”

On the night in question, Bryn Spejcher, 33, stabbed her beloved dog and also herself several times in the neck and face (her injuries are shown above)

He followed this statement by pointing his index finger directly at Spejcher, who was sitting to his left, and declaring, “She killed my son.” That’s a fact.’

Further contempt for her came from Mr O’Melia’s uncle, who stated: ‘There must be a consequence to taking a life.’

He accused Spejcher of engaging in “victim blaming” for her previous statements suggesting Chad had “pressured” her to smoke from his bong that contained the potent marijuana that caused the episode.

Several other relatives of O’Melia accused Spejcher of showing “no remorse” for her actions during the trial.

Mrs. Madison said: “Not once has she acknowledged her actions… she only cares about herself. What about Chad?

“The defendant’s use of marijuana was her decision. This is a serious crime and must be punished as such.”

Mrs. Madison too told The Signal: ‘It was all negative for us and (Monday) we stood in the rain and held picket duty for about three and a half hours, standing in the rain and saying our word – but it didn’t matter to.

“So she stabbed someone to death and got zero jail time.”

Ms Madison also said the family attributed the death of Mr O’Melia’s mother to the intense grief she carried over her son’s death.

Michelle Larrivee died 18 months after her son was murdered.

Chad O’Melia, an accounting student, was stabbed 108 times. He is said to be a ‘regular’ marijuana user

The family friend said: “She really struggled with how brutally he was murdered and how he died,” adding that his mother refused to be photographed smiling after her son’s death.

According to police reports, court proceedings and expert testimony, Ms. Spejcher fell into a violent frenzy in a “psychotic episode” after smoking marijuana from the victim’s hookah.

She testified at her trial that she began hearing voices shortly after taking two inhalations from the hookah, and stabbed O’Melia to death before also stabbing herself in the face and attacking her dog.

A jury found Ms Spejcher guilty of involuntary manslaughter in December and this week she was given two years’ probation and a conditional voluntary manslaughter order for stabbing her O’Melia 108 times.

A suspended sentence is an alternative to prison time, where a judge can allow the convicted person to waive prison time if he meets certain conditions.

In California, voluntary manslaughter is defined as killing a person “after a sudden argument or in the heat of passion.” This carries prison sentences of three to eleven years, fines, community service and probation.

Ms. Spejcher will spend the 100 hours educating others about marijuana-induced psychosis and two years on probation, but has vowed to spend the rest of her life dispelling the myth that cannabis is harmless.

Ms Spejcher, the last to speak at the sentencing, tearfully apologized to Sean O’Melia. “I am so sorry for my actions,” she said. “I don’t expect your forgiveness. My actions tore your family apart. I have listened to accusations that I am unrepentant. I also do that.

‘The hole in your life has not escaped my attention. I am really sorry.’