The Bel Air teen accused of murdering his father withdrew an insanity plea in a motion submitted in Harford County Circuit Court late last week.
Robert Richardson III, 16, filed a plea of Not Criminally Responsible by Reason of Insanity earlier this month, a plea which—if successful—would clear him of any criminal responsibility in the Jan. 9 murder of his father, Robert Richardson Jr.
According to Maryland law, under an insanity plea the defense must prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that the accused either could not appreciate that his actions were of a criminal nature, or that the accused could not control himself from committing the crime.
The decision to withdraw the plea came only days after Richardson completed a court-ordered competency evaluation, during which his psychological state would have been examined by medical professionals.
According to police, Richardson shot his father at their home in the 800 block of Moores Mill Road in Bel Air, before dumping the body in an Aberdeen pond and leading officers on a chase which ended with Richardson crashing into the Bel Air United Methodist Church in Bel Air.
Richardson has been awaiting trial in the Harford County Detention Center after being indicted as an adult for first-degree murder in Circuit Court in February. The trial was originally set to begin in July before Judge Stephen Waldron, but was postponed until January after Baltimore attorney Andrea Jaskulsky joined the defendant’s legal team.
Neither Richardson’s lead attorney, Marc Snyder, nor Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Tobin responded to several calls for comment.
He ain’t insane….He knew what he was doing. He had the mind to drive the body to another location and try to hide it.
We cannot possibly know what he was thinking at that time. I think it is sad that a child could be driven to do something like that. May God bring him the peace he desperately needs.
He was thinking of hiding the body. Just imagine all the children, who don’t kill their parent, and what they go through. Being a teenager is hard, but you don’t kill your parent. May God bring him the peace? What about his victim and his other family members? The accused is behind bars waiting for trial and his family is left to pick up the pieces. It’s getting to the point that the aggressor is given all the sympathy and the victim/other family members are the forgotten ones. BTW he can get convicted and earn a high school and college degree at the expense of the taxpayers.
He deserves to be locked up for a long time. Whether God gives him peace or not is no concern of mine. He is a murderer, plain and simple, and deserves our rebuke for his actions.
I dont think it should be anyone to judge him, there are things that happen behind close doors, and for us to assume and judge is not our place. The boy was a victim as well as his father was except his father left first. Boy lost his mother due to cancer his dad having financial problems verbally and physically abused him, neglected him as well as everything else that comes with that. This probably wouldn ot have have happend had social services and others stepped in to help him or his father out. The boy fell thru the cracks along with alot of other children in this world, Im not excusing what he did is right but at same time with all do respect none of us know what all went on thru and what led up to shooting. I do know as being his neighbor that there was alot of arguments abuse as well as things i dont want share went on. So no one needs judge and assume thats all people do now if you was in his shoes would you think same way as you think now. No one knows what anythign is like until you walk in there shoes. So god has plan for him and his family
I think it is common knowledge to many people that this young man was severely abused by his father. From what I hear, many people, including the school system suspected abuse – and did nothing.
Hey E and Mike Welsh – He had been abused his whole life. His father was allegedly beating him everyday. He had been wearing the same torn clothes everyday to school. It was rumored that his father waved guns in his face. Neighbors called the police (over 15 times) after hearing awful screaming. Social workers did nothing, the school did nothing, police, nothing.
Doesn’t make it right, but it was his only relief. Hiding the body was his child-like way of thinking to make his final escape.
Unless you’ve been abused, shut up.
You have no right to judge. None of us do.
He now has clothing, a meal, and peace, in jail.
Funny how that works out, right, E and Mike Welsh?
Shut up.