ms. ee lee, besides being asian, was a member of one of the most vulnerable classes in society. prior to her murder, ms. lee lived with a mental disability. part iii of this series address ms. lee’s mental condition and whether it played some role in her tragic death and demise.
prior to her murder, ms. lee had been diagnosed with “mental retardation and the intellect of an 8-year-old.” ms. lee had made news when she was accused of killing her infant daughter. ms. lee, in relation to the criminal proceedings, treated successfully for a psychosis upon completion of that treatment, a doctor found that she suffered from a profound mental deficit. she had the mental capacity of an eight-year-old. madison.com
in light of her mental capacity, ms. lee’s encounter with her two accused attackers may have had a completely different dimension. while she was a 37 year old woman on the outside, she was mentally an 8-year-old on the inside. whether the accused and the others who were present appreciated that fact is a subject of speculation.
per the criminal complaint, it was two teenagers who attacked ms. lee. the following is an accounting from the the complaint. “he stated they all saw this lady on a blanket in the park. he stated they walked up to her to see if she had any money and started harassing her. kg went on to state the defendant lewis started hitting her and that defendant spencer then also started striking and kicking her. he stated that they also picked up sticks and hit her with the sticks and pulled her clothes off her and then proceeded to drag her to the area of the tree where the assault continued.”
did her diminished mental capacity play a role in the assault? did her mental capacity created an additional source of hostility towards her? Were they unaware of her mental state when they allegedly assaulted, raped and murdered her?
if these teens had in fact recognized that she had a mental deficit and continued with their alleged acts, a greater level of depravity had occurred that has already been alleged. for those who advocate for the at risk, the investigators on this case should offer some insight into these questions.
are the mentally ill provided additional protections under the law when they are a victim of a crime? are they deserving of protections akin to hate-crimes law? perhaps, this is an additional issue for debate.
be well!!
if you would like to read more blog posts, click here
The Ten Commandments Project 