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Mayor says man tied to 5-year-old slaying was living near high school; oversight of civil commitment raised
Summary
At the June 17 Greenfield Common Council meeting the mayor reported that a man previously involved in a fatal attack — found mentally incompetent to stand trial years earlier — had been living at a nearby residence instead of in a supervised facility, and said police were surprised to find him in the community.
Mayor (Mayor) told the Greenfield Common Council on Tuesday that a man connected to a stabbing death about five years ago had been living near the site of the killing and close to city amenities, and that the police were surprised to discover him there.
The mayor said the man had been found mentally incompetent and not ready to stand trial in the earlier case and that, as he understood it, the person “was supposed to be civilly committed into a halfway house, a supervised halfway house.” The mayor said the person had been spending some nights “on the couch at mom's house a block away” from the alleged crime scene.
The mayor emphasized safety concerns, saying the residence is “right next to our high school,” near retail and park facilities, and that the circumstances were “incredibly disturbing.” He said the police department learned the person was at the residence only after responding to a call and that the department had expected to be notified when someone under supervision was in the community.
Why it matters: the comments raised questions about how people subject to civil-commitment orders or court-ordered supervision are tracked and notified to local law enforcement, and whether supervision arrangements are being followed in individual cases.
Discussion details: the mayor described the prior attack as a stabbing of a utility worker and said the suspect had been deemed mentally incompetent. He said historically civil commitment has been used to keep defendants in supervised settings until they can be tried or indefinitely if they never become competent. The mayor said, “Somebody somewhere dropped the ball and it's not excusable,” and added that “something's gonna be done about it,” but he gave no timeline or specific directive.
No formal action: the council did not take a motion or vote on policy changes, nor did staff present a report or a proposed ordinance at the meeting. Council members asked no recorded follow-up questions on the record during the mayor's report.
Context and limits: the mayor referred to the earlier killing as an alleged murder and said the suspect had been found mentally incompetent; the meeting record does not include court documents, case numbers, or confirmation of the suspect's identity or current legal status. The mayor said the police department was “made aware” of the person's presence when officers responded to a call; no police spokesperson spoke at the meeting.
Next steps noted at the meeting: the mayor said the police department is aware and indicated there would be further action, but no specific staff assignment, timeline, or formal council direction was recorded.
