In Cumberland County, a jury is deciding whether Abdullah El-Amin Shareef is not guilty by reason of insanity. Mental health professionals (1, 2) testified that Shareef was having a psychotic episode in 2004 when he stole two vehicles and attempted to run down several strangers, killing Lonel Bearl Bass. Several lay witnesses (1, 2, 3) testified about Shareef’s increasingly odd behavior in the months before the rampage.
If Shareef is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he will be incarcerated in a lockdown mental health facility, as opposed to regular prison. If Shareef is found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
