BART Killer John Lee Cowell Found Sane During Nia Wilson Stabbing
OAKLAND (CBS SF) — A judge ruled Monday that John Lee Cowell, convicted last week of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Nia Wilson and premeditated attempted murder for stabbing Wilson's sister, Letifah Wilson, was sane at the time of the attack.
Cowell had pleaded not guilty to the charges by reason of insanity. He will now face the possibility of a life sentence, without possibility of parole, to be served a in prison rather than a mental institution. His sentencing is scheduled for April 15.
Judge Allan Hymer of the Alameda County Superior Court issued the "directed verdict," ending the hearing early due to coronavirus concerns. Four of the jurors in the case were over the age of 65. As recently advised by governor Gavin Newson, all people at least 65 years old should avoid large groups and remain inside.
Last Wednesday, John Lee Cowell was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur station in Oakland in July of 2018. He was also convicted of premeditated attempted murder for stabbing Wilson's sister, Letifah Wilson, who was injured but survived the attack.
During closing arguments, the prosecutor and defense attorney clashed on furiously over the defendant's mental state.
But Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford and defense lawyer Christina Moore agreed on two important things: that Cowell was in fact the person who attacked Wilson and her sister Letifah at the MacArthur station at about 9:35 p.m. on July 22, 2018, and that the key issue in his trial was his state of mind at the time.
Ford told jurors that Cowell, a 29-year-old transient man, should be convicted of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of lying in wait because he believes Cowell knew what he was doing at the time and premeditated the attack.
But Moore said Cowell has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and said his mind "was completely divorced from reality" at the time.
Tensions ran high throughout the emotionally charged trial. At one point Moore asked jurors if they could believe Ford's allegation that she was a co-conspirator with Cowell to magnify his mental illness. Some members of the gallery, which was packed with Wilson's family members and friends, called out "yes."
Moore asked Hymer to admonish the audience and turned to the spectators and said, "This isn't about you."
On the first day of the trial, Cowell was removed from the courtroom following an outburst during the prosecution's opening remarks. The judge first admonished Cowell for speaking out to defend himself, telling Cowell to keep quiet and ultimately having Cowell removed when he continued.
When Cowell took the witness stand, he told jurors he hears voices from alien technology implanted in his ear in a series of bizarre ramblings.
Cowell sparred with his attorney during her questioning, testifying that he heard voices in his head that came from alien technology implanted in his ear with aliens using a radio to communicate with him.
He also referred to people wearing "fake skin" and "skin suits," insisting that the Wilson sisters were aliens that were threatening him. Cowell also said the sisters had kidnapped his grandmother and were threatening to hurt her.
Cowell said that the sisters were standing over him on the BART train and staring him down and that attacking them was the only way to save his grandmother.
The case against Cowell, who has a history of mental health problems, moved slowly because Moore has raised questions about his mental competency to stand trial.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer suspended the criminal proceedings against Cowell on Dec. 27, 2018, saying there was "substantial evidence" that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial.
But at a hearing last July 17, Cramer reinstated the criminal proceedings against Cowell, based in part on a report by psychiatrist Jason Roof of the University of California at Davis that found Cowell was competent to stand trial.
