Man Who Fatally Stabbed His Stepmother 67 Times Committed To State Hospital
SANTA ANA (CBS) — A 24-year-old man who stabbed his stepmother to death in 2008 was committed indefinitely Friday to Patton State Hospital.
A jury that convicted Craig Rolle of first-degree murder also determined that Rolle was insane at the time of the fatal attack -- during which he stabbed 24-year-old Tabea Kenney 67 times.
Members of Kenney's family pleaded with Orange County Superior Court Judge William Froeberg to order Rolle hospitalized for the rest of his life.
They also said they felt betrayed by the criminal justice system for not getting Rolle off the streets before the murder.
Froeberg spoke to the victim's family and offered apologies if they believed that justice was not served.
"On behalf of the criminal justice system, I apologize to you if you feel it failed," Froeberg told a group that included Kenney's father, mother, brother and sister. "Why society doesn't take care of its sick people, I don't know. I guess it's a money thing."
Rolle had multiple brushes with the law and was in and out of the care of mental health officials before he bought a folding knife Sept. 15, 2008, and hours later forced his way into his father's and stepmother's apartment about 12:30 p.m. and stabbed Kenney to death.
"There are no answers to why someone who is so good could be extinguished by someone who has so little to give," Froeberg said.
Froeberg told Kenney's kin that he could not guarantee Rolle would remain locked up.
"I can't guarantee he will stay in a mental hospital for the rest of his life," Froeberg said. "It's not up to me, but if I'm a betting man I'd say he will never be free again."
Rolle's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Robert Knox, said his client thinks he's the Prince of Wales and that he expects the royal family to "intercede on his behalf" someday.
Rolle yawned at one point while Kenney's mother, Cecilia Elgueta, was making a victim impact statement to the judge.
"You, Craig Rolle, have my daughter's blood on your hands," she said. "You had no mercy for my daughter, so why should we have any mercy for you."
Kenney's was described by family members as an animal lover who worked hard to help her stepson, but had grown increasingly frightened by him in the days leading up to her murder.
Kenney's brother, Beni Elgueta, said Rolle was more interested in talking about his "violent video games" than bonding with his stepbrother. In the days leading up to the stabbing, Rolle, "had become deeply disturbed and his face showed anger and violence," Beni Elgueta said.
"She wasn't just my big sister, she was my best friend," Elgueta said.
Kenney's sister, Pamina Elgueta, said the victim "spent so much energy trying to do what she could for Craig. But over the years he grew more deranged and she went from being a doting stepmother to being terrified of him. Nothing can fill the void he has left in our family."
The length of Rolle's stay at Patton was undetermined. If the facility's psychiatrists believe he has regained his sanity, then Rolle could petition for a court trial to determine if he is eligible to be freed, Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons said.
Froeberg ordered Rolle committed to the hospital for 26 years to life, which would have been his prison sentence if he had not been found insane, Simmons said.
» RELATED: 'Prince Of Wales' Declared Insane After Stabbing Tustin Stepmom 67 Times
