A judge ordered that a 22-year-old stabbing suspect undergo a psychiatric evaluation Monday, and the defendant’s court appointed attorney said he is looking to uncover further evidence that his client may be mentally unstable.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s mother said her son was discharged from an area hospital the day of the alleged stabbings, despite her pleas with hospital staff to provide psychiatric care.
Randall Bean, the man charged with stabbing three people in Forest Park on March 26, made a brief court appearance on May 7, during which his attorney, Assistant Cook County Public Defender Roger Warner, requested an exam to determine Bean’s mental competency. Bean has been held in Cook County Jail since his arrest on the day of the stabbings.
“I requested a psychological evaluation from clinical services at the courthouse,” Warner said after Bean appeared in court.
The evaluation will seek to determine whether Bean is mentally competent to stand trial. According to Warner, Bean must demonstrate that he understands that he is on trial and be able to aide in his own defense. He must know who he is and what is going on around him, Warner said.
This determination is separate from any ruling on whether the defendant may be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The assessment could also shed light on Bean’s mental status at the time of the alleged attacks and will help Warner decide whether to mount an insanity defense.
Bean is charged with several felony counts, including attempted murder, and his case was assigned to Judge Thomas Tucker’s felony trial courtroom at the Maybrook courthouse in Maywood.
Warner met Bean for the first time Monday in a crowded lockup at Maybrook immediately preceding his Monday court appearance. In preliminary court appearances Bean was represented by another public defender, Ben Martinez.
Warner said that he believed psychiatric medication has been prescribed for Bean while he remains in custody, but added that he is unsure whether Bean is getting his medication. He said that it was hard for him to gauge Bean’s mental state based on his brief conversation with him Monday.
“I think he’s a little confused,” Warner said. “He’s anxious.”
Bean’s mother, Gussie Bean, attended the hearing.
In a brief conversation outside the courtroom after the hearing, Gussie Bean said that her son had been in a hospital for psychiatric care the day of the stabbings, and was released against her wishes.
Warner said that Bean’s mother told him the same thing and that she had identified the hospital as Loyola Medical Center in Maywood.
Loyola Medical Center spokesperson Anne Dillon declined to confirm whether Bean was ever admitted to the hospital, citing federal patient confidentiality laws.
“I can’t comment at all,” Dillon said.
Loyola has not had an inpatient psychiatric unit since 1999. Generally speaking, Dillon said, if a person needing psychiatric care were treated at Loyola’s emergency room, the hospital would either release the patient or transfer them to another hospital such as Madden Mental Health Center in Maywood, Riveredge Hospital in Forest Park, or Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park.
Warner said he will subpoena medical records from Loyola to determine if Bean was treated there.
On Friday May 4, Bean formally entered a not guilty plea in another brief court appearance. Bean, who is being held in Cook County Jail on $1 million bond, is charged with three counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated battery, and one count of home invasion. Bean allegedly stabbed a 50-year-old woman in the neck at 1218 Circle Ave. after attacking her in her apartment. He then allegedly attacked a 26-year-old mother and her 2-year-old son as they sat on their porch in the 1200 block of Marengo Avenue.
His mother said that her son is a kind and gentle young man.
“My son loves kids and he definitely loves animals,” Gussie Bean said.
Warner said the court ordered psychiatric evaluation usually takes about five weeks to complete.
