By admin A 32-year-old man was sentenced to the jurisdiction of the Oregon State Hospital Psychiatric Review Board after pleading guilty to “guilty except insanity” to second-degree murder for attacking and killing a man at a Lane Transit District bus stop in Eugene.
On November 19, 2022, Travis Sanders, 69, of Springfield was struck at the EMX stop on 11th Avenue near Kincaid Street in Eugene. Officers arrived at the scene and found Sanders unconscious. Eugene police said the man was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Derek Dinnell, 32, reportedly fled the scene but was later arrested. He faces second-degree murder charges for “unlawfully and intentionally” causing Sanders’ death.
On February 7, 2023, Public Defender Services of Lane County filed a motion declaring Dinnell incompetent to proceed to trial, and he was sent to Oregon State Hospital for treatment.
The court ruling said Dinnell required “hospital-level care” due to public safety concerns, the severity of his mental health symptoms and the lack of adequate local rehabilitation services.
After treatment at Oregon State Hospital, the state filed a motion on June 7, 2023, declaring Dinnell competent to proceed. Court documents show Dinnell was determined to understand the nature of the proceedings and be able to assist in his defense.
On January 18, 2024, Dinnell’s counsel filed a notice of intent to invoke the “guilty save for insanity” defense, alleging that defendant was unable to appreciate the criminality of his actions or bring his conduct within the law for a qualifying disorder mental at the time of committing the crime.
On October 13, Dinnell entered a motion to consent to be found guilty except by insanity at a facts-finding hearing. He entered a plea to second-degree murder after an evaluation by licensed psychologists at Oregon State Hospital and an outside party.
The next day, Lane County Circuit Court Judge Clara Rigmaiden accepted the plea and sentenced Dinnell to the Oregon State Hospital under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for a maximum term not to exceed life in prison.
According to court documents, Dinnell suffers from schizophrenia, which is a qualifying mental illness under Oregon law.
The victim’s family requested notification of any Psychiatric Security Review Board orders, hearings, parole, discharges or escapes involving Dinnell. He was also banned from purchasing and transporting firearms.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on the Register-Guard: Eugene sentenced to state hospital for 2022 attack at LTD bus stop