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Transfer of murder suspect to CHC opposed
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Posted on Apr 25 2000
Assistant Attorney General James Benedetto has strongly opposed the transfer of murder suspect Dwayne M. Sibetang to the Commonwealth Health Center from the Division of Corrections on grounds that the hospital is not equipped to handle psychiatric patients with violent tendencies.
In a motion filed before the Superior Court, Mr. Benedetto said the hospital’s nursing staff is not properly trained to deal with a person who may become violent considering that Mr. Sibetang has previously assaulted patients and staff in CHC.
Since Mr. Sibetang is charged with first degree murder, Mr. Benedetto said it would be irresponsible to transfer him to any facility less secure than the Division of Corrections.
He also pointed out that the only forensic psychiatrist in the CNMI now works at DOC to treat inmates in the custody of the division.
“Mr. Sibetang and all mentally ill inmates should be housed in a facility which is more therapeutic than DOC can currently provide,” he said.
Mr. Sibetang, 28, stabbed and killed Ma Dong Che, a Chinese nonresident worker at Coco Garden in Capitol Hill on March 16, 2000. Another nonresident worker, Li Xing Fan, was injured when he struggled to grab the knife from the suspect.
Assistant Public Defender Robert Torres argued that his client should be transferred to CHC and not detained at DOC since he needs medical treatment.
The case of Mr. Sibetang has put the island’s hospital on the spotlight again due to lack of adequate facility at the Division of Mental Health that will respond to people suffering from mental illness.
Even Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez has admitted that the absence of a forensic psychiatry unit has hampered the hospital’s ability to adequately attend to such cases.
