Massachusetts

Suspect in Random Attack at Casino Found Not Guilty

A man charged with a brutal unprovoked attack on a patron at a Massachusetts casino has been found not guilty by reason of mental illness.

A man charged with a brutal unprovoked attack on a patron at a Massachusetts casino has been found not guilty by reason of mental illness.

The Republican newspaper reports that a judge Thursday found 27-year-old Devon Williams not guilty of the Sept. 9 attack at the MGM Springfield casino as well as several other random assaults in the city.

The Springfield man was sent to a state psychiatric facility for 40 days.

A mental health professional testified that Williams was in the grip of severe mental illness, primarily schizophrenia, at the time of the assaults, preventing him from seeing the "wrongfulness" of his actions.

Authorities say Williams punched and kicked the 55-year-old casino victim from Hampton Bays, New York, giving him a broken jaw, eye orbital fractures and other injuries.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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