A 20-year-old Plattsmouth man was acquitted by reason of insanity Thursday in the 2022 killing of a 55-year-old woman.
had been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and use of a weapon to commit a felony in Cass County Court after the death of Mary D. Blackwell of Plattsmouth on Aug. 25, 2022.
Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home south of Plattsmouth to investigate a disturbance. The person who called 911 also reported a small fire in the living room and a woman on the floor.
When they arrived, deputies found the fire had been extinguished and found Blackwell on the floor with blood around her. She had multiple cuts and a fatal stab wound to the chest. She was pronounced dead.
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The state proved beyond a reasonable doubt Parsons committed the crimes, but Parsons was found to have schizophrenia at the time the crimes were committed and did not know right from wrong because of it, Judge Michael Smith stated in a court order.
While there were arguments Parsons’ schizophrenia may have been caused by drug use, the continued presence of symptoms several months after he last used marijuana showed that was not the case, according to the order.
A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30 to decide whether Parsons is a threat to himself or others. He will remain in custody without bail until then.