Dungeons & Dragons player tried for murder

[azathoth777]

DETROIT -- On Oct. 27, 2004, James Flemons walked into work with a homemade samurai sword and slashed his co-worker to death.

Prosecutors say Flemons, then 30, was angry because of constant bullying by the victim, Anthony Williams, and other co-workers at Peerless Metal Powders & Abrasive.

But Flemons' lawyer says he is schizophrenic with a psychotic obsession with fantasy role-playing games, including Dungeons & Dragons.

Opening statements in Flemons' murder trial are expected Wednesday.

Williams arrived at his job the day of the killing armed with a homemade 38-inch samurai sword. Witnesses told police that Flemons appeared to hand Williams a piece of metal in a chivalrous manner, as if challenging him to a duel, before chasing him and stabbing him to death.

The medical examiner ruled that Williams died as a result of "multiple chop wounds to the neck."

Witnesses told police that, after the killing, Flemons bought a beer and cigar at a nearby convenience store. He then returned to the scene and positioned Williams' body as if on a cross. Then he opened the beer and lit the cigar as he waited for the police to arrive, his colleagues said.

In a voluntary statement to police, Flemons admitted attacking Williams in response to constant bullying about his fantasy game obsession.

Less than a month after Williams' death, Flemons was found not competent to stand trial and was sent to the State Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti for further evaluation.

To be declared competent to stand trial, an individual must understand the nature of the proceedings and be able to assist counsel in defending their case.

Under Michigan law, the state has 15 months in which to medicate and treat individuals de emed not competent to stand trial. If the person is still found not competent at the end of that period, prosecutors can file to have him committed to a mental institution.

Flemons' lawyer, David Roby, said his client was deemed competent to stand trial only two weeks before the 15-month deadline was reached.

"The doctors said that even though he's hearing voices out of the television that are directing aspects of his life and he's suffering from other mood-altering delusions ... 'he's made such progress we think he's competent,'" Roby said.

Roby said Flemons was obsessed with magic, fantasy, the occult, voodoo, Santeria, telekinesis and spirits.

"He played Dungeons & Dragons and was obsessive with games of fantasy, anything that helped him get away from people and hide from them in his own little cocoon," Roby said.

The defense attorney rejected any notion that Flemons acted in a cold, calculated way, saying instead that his client is "delusional and psychotic."

"This is a case about whether, as a society, we hold the psychotic responsible for every act they commit," Roby said.

Deputy Prosecutor Kam Towns said her case will focus on the testimony of former colleagues who witnessed the attack and that of a forensic psychologist.

Towns also said she hopes to introduce Flemons' 1998 conviction of felonious assault for attacking his uncle with a samurai sword. He also attacked the police officer who responded to the scene.

He was sentenced to two years' probation.

Roby said that although Flemons was deemed competent to stand trial in that case, the doctors who evaluated him said he "probably was suffering from a thought disorder, a delusional disorder, which is to say, schizophrenia."

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Annette Berry is expected to rule before trial Wednesday on whether Flemons' prior conviction can be introduced at trial.

If Flemons is found guilty of first-degree murder, he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without parole. A verdict of guilty but mentally ill, however, would mean a life sentence in the prison psychiatric ward.

If the jury returns a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, Flemons would be sent to the state's mental health facility, where the doctors would maintain sole discretion over his fate. They could opt to release him at some point if they consider him well.

The jury also has the option of finding Flemons guilty of second-degree murder, which would require the judge to sentence him.