Decapitation Dad Found Not Guilty But Insane

Joseph Henry Hagerman III was found not guilty this week for beheading his five year old son, on grounds of insanity.

Hagerman is a paranoid schizophrenic, and had been hospitalised due to the condition on several occasions. In January this year his medication was changed, with devastating results. Hagerman became delusional, suffering from hallucinations, rambling about the end of the World and reading heavily from the Book of Revelations. He began praying for people, who believed could read his mind, stopped sleeping and also stopped taking his medication.

On 10th February this year Hagerman had managed to convince himself that his wife, Shirley was part of a group of Anti-Christs that were plotting to torture his five year old son Joshua until he denounced Christ and then murder him. In Hagerman’s twisted mind the only way he could save his son’s soul was to kill him himself before the Anti-Christs got to him. He went to the kitchen and fetched a large serrated bread knife, then proceeded to the living room where he began sawing the toddler’s head off with the knife.

Shirley Hagerman attempted to save the little boy, she suffered cuts to her hands as she struggled with her husband. She ran out of the house to raise the alarm, Mr Hagerman exited shortly afterwards soaked in the child’s blood.

Police soon picked Mr Hagerman up, but he remained delusional. Whilst in police custody that night he refused to eat or drink anything given to him and only drank water from his holding cell lavatory.

On Wednesday a court in Virginia Beach, Va. found Hagerman not guilty and sent him back to Central State Hospital in Petersburg for mental health treatment.

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