Cy Walsh has been found not guilty of the murder of his father, the Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh, by reason of mental incompetence.
Walsh, 55, died after being repeatedly stabbed at the family’s home in Somerton Park in the western beachside suburbs of Adelaide in July 2015. He was in his first year as a senior coach of the Adelaide Crows.
His 27-year-old son was charged with his murder and later pleaded not guilty by reason of mental incompetence.
Prosecutors said they would accept that plea in late August after reviewing evidence gathered by police and reports from forensic psychiatrists.
The South Australia supreme court found Cy Walsh not guilty by reason of mental incompetence on Wednesday morning.
Justice Ann Bampton ruled that the factual elements of the case had been proved.
This meant the court was satisfied that Walsh killed his father, but that he could not be held criminally responsible because of his mental state.
“I find he was suffering from a psychotic episode as a result of schizophrenia, which at the time of the conduct was undiagnosed,” Bampton said.
She accepted forensic reports that showed he was not intoxicated by any drugs at the time of the stabbing.
Under South Australian law he would be subjected to a lifetime psychiatric supervision order, the terms of which will be determined by the court.
AAP reported that it was likely he would be detained for some time at Adelaide’s secure mental health facility, James Nash House.
Most of the evidence in the case has been suppressed, but the court was told Cy Walsh stabbed his father 20 times and at least two of the wounds were fatal.
A victim impact statement was read to the supreme court on behalf of Meredith Walsh, Phil Walsh’s wife and Cy Walsh’s mother.
“My heart remains broken. My daughter is also shattered,” she said.
“We now all live the devastating consequences of a mental illness that was not understood.
“I will continue to love and support my son as his father has always done.”
