Man Fatally Stabs his Dog, Sets his Apartment on Fire and Attempts Suicide
Summary:
First two paragraphs read: "A Norcross man accused of fatally stabbing a dog and setting his apartment ablaze last week had recently been discharged from a mental health facility, his mother told the Daily Post."
"Charged with felony animal cruelty and arson, Daniel Leon, 22, was arrested after he returned to the scene naked and dripping wet about 1:30 a.m. Friday."
Paragraph five reads: "Leon’s mother, Carmen Leon, said he’s been grappling with bipolar disorder and depression for about two years and had recently been staying at her apartment so she could keep watch over him. She called the felony charges against her son extreme."
Paragraph seven reads: "Carmen Leon said she submitted her son for an evaluation at a facility she called “Georgia Medical Center” a couple weeks ago. He was discharged with instructions to see a psychiatrist in Lawrenceville, who prescribed medications and scheduled a follow-up visit a month later, she said."
Updated: 5:53 PM Apr 20, 2011 Mother: Son’s mental illness factored in dog’s death, arson A Norcross man accused of fatally stabbing a dog and setting his apartment ablaze last week had recently been discharged from a mental health facility, his mother told the Daily Post. Posted: 5:53 PM Apr 20, 2011 Reporter: Josh Green, Staff Writer Email Address: josh.green@gwinnettdailypost.com Daniel Leon
NORCROSS A Norcross man accused of fatally stabbing a dog and setting his apartment ablaze last week had recently been discharged from a mental health facility, his mother told the Daily Post.
Charged with felony animal cruelty and arson, Daniel Leon, 22, was arrested after he returned to the scene naked and dripping wet about 1:30 a.m. Friday.
Leon told authorities he tried to ignite an apartment he shared with his mother at the Park Lake complex, slashed his wrist and then jumped in a nearby pond, all in attempts to commit suicide, according to a Gwinnett police report.
Arson investigators found Leon’s mother’s small dog dead in a laundry room, wrapped in clothes with a knife beside it. Responders found smoke in the ground-floor unit, but the flames had burned themselves out near an oven in the kitchen. No one was home.
Leon’s mother, Carmen Leon, said he’s been grappling with bipolar disorder and depression for about two years and had recently been staying at her apartment so she could keep watch over him. She called the felony charges against her son extreme.
“My son did not do this deliberately. He has no idea what happened that night,” said Carmen Leon, who was elsewhere at the time. “Obviously they should have known that. He has no recollection.”
Carmen Leon said she submitted her son for an evaluation at a facility she called “Georgia Medical Center” a couple weeks ago. He was discharged with instructions to see a psychiatrist in Lawrenceville, who prescribed medications and scheduled a follow-up visit a month later, she said.
That was four days before the Friday incident, which was the first time Leon had lashed out in a self-destructive manner, his mother said.
Online records show no facility listed under the name Carmen Leon mentioned. The family declined further comment when contacted for clarification.
Leon will eventually be held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail, pending a probable cause hearing. Carmen Leon said her son has been transferred to a mental health facility in the meantime until he can be stabilized.
Fire officials said an arson conviction alone carries a prison sentence of one to 20 years. The thought of prolonged time behind bars doesn’t sit well with the suspect’s mother.
“I just want my son to get the proper medical assistance that he needs, instead of sitting in jail,” she said. “That’s not going to help him.”