Prosecutor: Man on trial for stabbing homeless woman in DeLand said 'god' told him to kill

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Jared Shaw told a deputy according to body camera video that he had killed a "god" in reference to stabbing a homeless woman. A prosecutor said that what Shaw actually said was that the gods had told him to stab the woman.

A homeless man, his white shirt drenched in blood, told a deputy that the gods told him to stab a homeless woman, according to a prosecutor.

Jared Shaw, 36, went on trial Monday charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Christine McCaleb, 67. Shaw’s defense attorneys are arguing he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

If found guilty, Shaw will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn could order him committed to a psychiatric institution.

Volusia Sheriff’s Deputy Royce James was one of the witnesses called during Monday's trial at the S. James Foxman Justice Center. James testified he was driving on Woodland Boulevard in the early morning of Oct. 16, 2019, when a man flagged him down and directed his attention to Shaw.

James’ body camera video, which was played for the jury, showed a man later identified as Shaw with a wide swath of blood down the middle of his white shirt. The deputy told him to lie down and called for medical help to come to Woodland Boulevard and Ohio Avenue.

Shaw also told the deputy that he inflicted the deep laceration to his neck himself.

“I did it myself,” he said in the video.

Shaw then says he had stabbed somebody on a bench.

Shaw told the deputy that the gods had told him to do it, Assistant State Attorney Helen Schwartz said.

A sheath is visible on the left side of Shaw in the body camera video. That sheath matched the knife used in the murder, prosecutors said.

Shaw said he stabbed the woman with a knife. When asked how many people he had stabbed, Shaw said one.

As medics treated Shaw and prepared him for transport, James asked Shaw for his Social Security number which he provided.

During questioning by Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio, James said Shaw followed commands and responded appropriately to questions.

Interlicchio also played body camera video from DeLand Police which showed McCaleb laying on the bench. Her eyes were closed. She had red lipstick on. Officers lowered her shirt to check for wounds and there was blood on her chest.

A black-handled knife with a notch in the blade was next to her feet on the bench.

Shaw sat at the end of the defense table and did not appear to show emotion during the proceedings. When the judge and attorneys discussed an evidence issue prior to allowing the jury into the courtroom, Shaw bent over in his seat and looked down at the floor. As video played of the woman he killed, Shaw looked straight ahead at least some of the time.

Prosecutor: Shaw stood over homeless woman before killing her

In her opening statement, Schwartz said McCaleb was homeless and sleeping on a bench.

Shaw bought the knife used in the murder at Walmart within two days before the killing.

It was a hunting knife and contained a hook in the blade used to disembowel animals.

Schwartz said that video surveillance at the Bank of America showed Shaw walking back and forth by the bench where McCaleb was sleeping.

Every time headlights from passing cars illuminated the bench, Shaw walked away, Schwartz said. When the headlights faded, Shaw would reenter the video frame.

Shaw then stood over McCaleb before stabbing her in the chest.

“It was a painful death,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz said because Shaw walked back and forth in front of the bench before the stabbing, it showed thoughtful consideration and premeditation on his part and asked jurors to find him guilty of first-degree murder.

Defense: Shaw's mental health record dates back years

Assistant Public Defender Jessica Roberts in her opening statement began with Shaw’s response when law enforcement asked who he stabbed.

Shaw suffers from mental health illnesses, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and paranoia, records show.

She told jurors no one would testify that Shaw was not mentally ill.

She said this was not a case in which Shaw killed someone and then it was discovered he was mentally ill. She said Shaw’s mental health record extends back years.

Roberts said that Shaw was born to a mother who kept drinking alcohol even during her pregnancy. He was later adopted.

She said that Shaw slit his own throat that night and then got on his bicycle and started riding with blood pouring down his shirt. Roberts asked what sane person would do that.

She said that while police found meth in his pants pocket, Shaw was not drug tested.

Roberts told the court that three years before the killing, Shaw was homicidal and believed his adoptive parents were going to kill him so he was going to harm them first before they harmed him. But he was hospitalized. She said at the hospital they tested him and found no drug use.

She asked jurors to enter a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Accused killer in DeLand homeless stabbing said 'god' told him to kill