Man shouts, curses after Hamilton County judge rules he no longer faces death penalty
A Hamilton County judge on Wednesday said a mentally ill man charged with killing four people will no longer face the death penalty, citing a recently enacted state law that prohibits the execution of someone found to have a serious mental illness.
Alto Miles, who according to prosecutors went on a "spree killing" in 2020, has schizoaffective disorder, described in court documents as a combination of schizophrenia and a mood disorder. It's one of the four conditions that qualify under the law, which was enacted two years ago.
Miles, 46, was in a restraint chair for Wednesday's hearing in Common Pleas Judge Chris Wagner's courtroom, and a spit-screen covered his mouth. Multiple sheriff's deputies and a supervisor were present.
As Wagner was announcing his ruling, Miles began shouting and cursing, because he wants to face the death penalty.
Wagner said a forensic psychologist found that at the time of the killings Miles' "capacity to exercise rational judgment was significantly impaired," and he could not appreciate "the nature, consequences or wrongfulness" of the alleged crimes.
History of mental health issues
In April 2020, prosecutors say Miles fatally shot four people possibly within a few hours.
Miles told police after his arrest that if they hadn’t stopped him, he would have continued to kill, officials have said.
Miles has a history of mental health issues. While the case has been pending, he has been evaluated for competency nine times to determine if he understood the nature of the proceedings and could assist in his own defense. Wagner said in a ruling earlier this year that efforts to restore his competency had "proven to be a cyclical affair of restoration and decompensation."
Miles has been undergoing treatment at a psychiatric hospital in Columbus, where documents say he shows improvement when he is medicated. But earlier this year, an official at the hospital, Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare, said Miles was refusing to take his medications, which include antipsychotic and mood-stabilizing drugs.
He previously was held at the Hamilton County Justice Center, where court documents say he smeared feces in his cell, ran around the unit naked and talked about "himself being God."
Alleged 'spree killings'
Investigators believe the first two killed were Miles' onetime girlfriend, 35-year-old Tasia Mason, and 56-year-old Bridgett Carter. Their bodies were found April 10, 2020, at an apartment in the 800 block of Clinton Springs Avenue in North Avondale.
That same day, William Bowen III, 28, and Michael Eves, 47, were fatally shot at an apartment in the 3600 block of Reading Road in Avondale.
Records listed Miles’ address as being a few blocks away.
Miles faces charges including four counts of aggravated murder. A trial date has not been set.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Alto Miles case: Death penalty prohibited because of mental illness
