Man accused of stabbing UT Austin student to death to be released from mental hospital
Hearing for man accused of stabbing UT student to death
A judge will soon decide if the man who stabbed a UT Austin student to death in 2017 will leave a state mental hospital and be released to a group home.
AUSTIN, Texas - A man accused of stabbing a UT Austin student to death in 2017 will be released from a state mental hospital.
Kendrex White will now head into a group home, the judge stated.
What they're saying:
"Under Texas law, the Court has the authority to modify an individual's commitment status from inpatient to outpatient after receiving a physician’s certificate of medical examination," the Travis County District Attorney's Office stated.
"The DA's office opposed the modification due to the nature of the offenses, for the safety of the community, and considering the wishes of the victims and their families," the office added.
Court hearing
What they're saying:
Seven years after Kendrex White was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the stabbing death of Harrison Brown, he appeared in court on Wednesday.
Cameras weren’t allowed inside, but White was wearing a blue checkered shirt and glasses. He’s hoping to leave the Kerrville State Hospital and move to a group home.
FOX 7 Austin spoke to Brown’s mother a few months ago.
"We're going to fight for Harrison, and I'm going to call everybody. I want everybody to know that this is about to happen and if this is what it's going to mean, you should not be okay with it. Nobody should be OK with it except the killer," Harrison Brown’s mother, Lori Brown, said.
UT Austin stabbing suspect could be released
A man who stabbed a UT Austin student to death in 2017 may soon be back out in the community. Kendrex White has a hearing in a couple of weeks.
The woman who filed the application to change White’s commitment from inpatient to outpatient testified on Wednesday. She said White came in experiencing delusional thinking, false beliefs, hallucinations, and nightmares.
She says in 2022, White still reported experiencing auditory hallucinations, but hasn’t since.
This hearing was supposed to happen back in July, but was postponed because of the deadly Kerrville flooding.
Man who stabbed, killed UT student Harrison Brown in 2017 has hearing this week
Kendrex White, a man who stabbed four UT students in 2017, could be back out in the community following a hearing this week. FOX 7 Austin's CrimeWatch reporter Meredith Aldis spoke with the mother of Harrison Brown, who was killed.
Records reveal the blood test taken to be used for that hearing showed White’s medication wasn’t working correctly, and he was not at therapeutic levels. His doctor said if the hearing had happened then, she would not have wanted to move forward with his discharge. She said they had to double his dosage to get him back on track, but claims he’s stable now.
If the judge decides to ultimately grant this request, a social services director testified that White will see a psych provider at least once a month.
The facility will be staffed 24/7, there will be a check-in and out area, have an 11 p.m. curfew, there will not be GPS tracking, and White will have access to knives.
Harrison Brown stabbing
The backstory:
On May 1, 2017, Kendrex White was arrested and charged with murder in the death of Harrison Brown and with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police said White calmly walked around campus near Gregory Gym and stabbed four people. He killed UT freshman Harrison Brown, a talented musician from Graham, Texas.
According to an affidavit, White was taken to the Austin Police Homicide Office for an interview. He was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak. When the officer asked him if he knew why he was there, White said, "Yes, accusations of pushing someone down, and I think using a bladed weapon."
U.T. stabbing
We are learning more about what the accused U.T. attacker told police following Monday's stabbing on campus.
A weapon, White told police, he bought several days prior for protection.
The officer asked White if he was hearing voices in his head. White said his mind told him to, "tell the truth and withhold any action that he did because it really didn't happen."
White said it was possible he used the knife in a way to hit someone, but he couldn't remember. At one point, White interrupted the interview and said, "if I did something I don't remember, then I want to be told."
In December 2018, a Travis County judge found White not guilty by reason of insanity on all counts and ordered him to be committed to a maximum-security mental health hospital.
The Source: Information from a court hearing, the Travis County DA's Office, and previous FOX 7 Austin coverage