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A coronavirus-obsessed Wisconsin man who authorities say stabbed four of his family members -- killing two of them -- earlier this year, was ordered this week to spend the rest of his life in a mental health institution, according to reports.
Adam Roth, 36, of Waukesha, was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in the March attack, which authorities said was linked to his worries about the virus.
Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Ted Szczupakiewicz had asked for a lifetime commitment during a Monday sentencing hearing. He requested institutional care as opposed to conditional release.
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This undated photo provided by the Waukesha (Wis.) County Sheriff's Department shows Adam Roth, a Wisconsin man who has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in a mental health institution. (Waukesha County Sheriff's Department via AP)
“There is clear and convincing evidence that if Mr. Roth would be conditionally released, he would pose a significant risk," Szczupakiewicz said. "And that’s not a risk, at this point, I think anyone would hope the court would take."
According to a criminal complaint, Roth and his wife, Dominique Roth, were in the kitchen eating on March 10, when he began stabbing her. When Dominique's mother, Gilane Popanda, and Gilane's other daughters, Desiree and Deidre, told him to stop, he "turned on everybody," the complaint added.
Deputies arrived at the home to find a woman bleeding at the end of the driveway, and another woman bleeding against a truck, FOX 6 News of Milwaukee reported. After entering the residence, authorities found "a large amount of blood" on a staircase and hallway, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint added that after deputies shouted into the home, a man, identified as Roth stepped out from the upstairs hallway, covered in blood, and holding a knife.
"Alright, I'm done now," Roth said to deputies after they instructed him to drop the weapon, according to the station. He also told a detective the day after the stabbing that the coronavirus “was coming and I had to save them.”
Dominique Roth, 34, and her sister Deidre Popanda, 26, died from their injuries, as did a family dog, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office. Desirae Popanda, 36, and Gilane Popanda, 62, suffered significant injuries and were rushed to local area hospitals, authorities said.
"I don't know that in my 28 years here in the DA's office I've seen a more horrific crime than this," Szczupakiewicz added.
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Roth was charged in March with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and one count of mistreatment of animals/causing death by use of a dangerous weapon, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He pleaded guilty but not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to the first four counts as part of a plea agreement. The other charges were dismissed but read into the court record, the paper reported.
Roth’s attorney, Cameron Weitzner, did not challenge the prosecution’s requested sentence.
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“This case is about an individual who is suffering from mental illness and was suffering in a way that I don’t think any of us can understand,” Weitzner said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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