Man to remain in mental unit for slaying

7/11/2001

Russell Morris, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the 1997 murder of his grandmother, will continue to be held in a mental-health facility for at least two more years.

Judge Charles Wittenberg made the ruling after a competency hearing yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

State law requires such a hearing every two years. Mr. Morris will continue to be held at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare System, 930 South Detroit Ave.

Judge Wittenberg made his original finding after a trial for Mr. Morris, 25, at which mental-health professionals agreed he couldn't differentiate right from wrong.

The body of Geraldine Morris, 73, was found in the trunk of her car after it had been towed to a body shop after an accident at U.S. 20 and Pemberville Road.

Mr. Morris, who had been driving the car, fled, but was found in a nearby barn. She had been slain in her Bernath Court home.