A Massachusetts man charged with stabbing a 79-year-old man inside a Newton supermarket pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday, and his parents are wondering why he was released from a hospital days earlier.
A judge ordered Matthew Muradov, 23, to Bridgewater State Hospital to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Muradov was taken into custody Monday after Newton police said he allegedly stabbed a victim in a random attack at about 2 p.m. at the Star Market on Commonwealth Avenue in the town's Auburndale neighborhood.
Police arrested Muradov outside the supermarket. The victim, identified as David Harris, was taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds and later released.
Muradov's father reportedly told police his son has a history of mental health issues and was released from Newton-Wellesley Hospital last Friday.
"This has been a very long process for him over the course of a number of years," said David Levinson, Muradov's defense attorney. "[His parents] just want him to get help. They're not really sure why he was released from the hospital."
According to police, Muradov's parents think he was released because his insurance ran out.
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"Discharge plans are based on the unique clinical needs of each individual patient, and every patient is carefully and individually evaluated prior to discharge," a Newton-Wellesley Hospital spokesperson said in a statement. "All out discharge plans include necessary follow up care and prescriptions for any necessary medication."
Police said the attack appeared to be random and that the two men do not know each other.
