DUBLIN — A sex offender who killed his cellmate was allowed to plead guilty of voluntary manslaughter, but found not guilty by reason of insanity, court records show.
As part of an agreement between defense and prosecuting attorneys, 35-year-old Bryson Levy was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Feb. 4. Last month, he was transferred to the State Hospital system to begin a term of confinement that will last up to eight years, or until he is deemed cured of mental illness.
As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed Levy was legally insane at the time of the homicide. A court hearing is required to establish any finding that Levy has been cured.
In February 2023, Levy was introduced to his new Santa Rita Jail cellmate, an El Cerrito man named Yuri Brand who was in jail for allegedly spending two days in a Piedmont resident’s unoccupied home, when the homeowner was away. Brand had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, authorities said.
Within one hour of being placed in the cell, Levy killed Brand. Police found him sitting on a mattress, where Brand’s body lay underneath, according to court records.
At the time, Levy — a sex offender with a prior forcible oral copulation conviction — was in jail facing a misdemeanor vandalism charge for allegedly ransacking the halfway house where he lived.
The two were in a module meant to house people with mental illness, which has been a controversial issue at Santa Rita Jail. The jail now operates under a consent decree aimed at improving mental health care and conditions for inmates after several drug overdoses, suicides and killings.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Oakland man who killed jail cellmate is not guilty by reason of insanity )
Also on site :