Veteran charged for strangling his roommate to death at a VA medical center
Christopher Schweikart murdered another veteran at the acute mental health unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This medical center is located at Riviera Beach, Florida. Schweikart admitted, to a nurse, to killing the other veteran including how he did it. He also informed the nurse that he wanted to die. Federal VA agents arrived at the scene to investigate. Schweikart appeared in Federal Court in West Palm Beach on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder.
From WPTV:
When told the interview was voluntary, Schweikart “replied with something to the effect of ‘I can’t lie,'” according to a report from an agent.
He told investigators he followed the roommate into their shared bathroom and strangled him with both hands.
Later in the evening, he told investigators he tried to adjust the victim on the toilet so it would not look so obvious. He said he went back into the room and lay in his bed.
A medical examiner said the victim’s injuries were consistent with strangulation, according to an autopsy.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of a veteran at our facility on March 16 — our thoughts and condolences are with the veteran’s loved ones,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement. “We immediately notified the Office of Inspector General of this tragic incident and are fully cooperating with the investigation. Because this investigation is ongoing, we cannot comment further at this time — and we refer all questions to the authorities leading the investigation.”
Schweikart was denied bail.
WPTV provides additional information here.
Category: Mental Health, Veteran Health Care, Veterans in the news, Veterans' Affairs Department
STOP SNORING!!!
CPAP machine will stop that but the nocturnal emissions may
continue. Then there is the somnambulism aspect.
I hope the two don’t occur simultaneously…….
And some of the bowel/flatulence issues on retiree veterans’ part can be impressive just by themselves, too.
Reminds me of John Wesley Hardin from those Time-Life Old West series commercials back in the early 80’s.
I wonder how the conversation is going to go, when he shows up to prison and he explains to his new cellmate what he’s in for.
He is obviously mentally imbalanced and was trying to get help. At what point do we fix the broken VA mental health system?
To be mentally ill does not mean you cannot be convicted of murder, for any other crime for that matter.
Except if you are Joe Biden.
If your name ends in Biden it is written:
It goes on for quite aways into end times and the Armageddon but I think you get the idea.
Hoping that Dallas Wittgenfeld was not harmed in this incident. 🥴
WhAtEvErHaPpEnDtOtHeWiTlEsSoNeAnYhOw?
“…informed the nurse that he wanted to die.” Welp, I say that we oblige him…with a short rope, tied in a granny knot, and a short drop. Cut his feet loose so he can dance his way to Hell.
How about we do the same to all the VA employees that ignored all the obvious indicators up to this point.
And how about a big fook off to you for your fantasy torture dreams.
Perhaps you could brief us on the case history and tell us the obvious indicators. Some of us don’t have the extensive knowledge of the individuals and circumstances that you obviously do.
I think we need to revisit the process of how the VA delineates roommates in these mental health facilities.
Did he flush the toilet?
Details, details…
Maybe he was playing cards with his victim in the head (bathroom for non Squids) and the victim had a Royal Flush
How many red flags were displayed to the VA before this and were totally ignored?
“Schweikart admitted, to a nurse, to killing the other veteran including how he did it. He also informed the nurse that he wanted to die.”
Yesiree, a corpse and a confession are definite “red flags” that a problem may exist.
Used up all teh hot water when he showered?
Obviously, never had daughters.
lAh, justifiable homicide then.
I’m glad that I wasn’t eligible for the va when I retired and on 18 month cobra looking to get into the va and found from out the va person that I was talking to that pres. bush stopped some of the funding back in 2003 and since I wasn’t in Viet-Nam, I wasn’t eligible. My former next door neighbor was in Arty in Viet-Nam and was eligible. Worked in ny stock exchange and 1 Chase Manhatten Plaza on water street down in 5B precious metals vault and he didn’t remember me when we were down there for a gold shipment. Guy uses the va and gets everything he needs. Guess it won’t cost him anything and being a Millionare and buying Florida homes for investments
I know a guy like that. He was outraged when the VA started charging him copayments for his annual physical exam,etc.
I’ve got an uncle like that. He flew F4’s during the Vietnam War. He was never shot down but he did survive a crash at the airfield. He gets around ok these days but he is 100% combat disabled. So he gets everything from the VA even though he is worth a considerable amount.
The dead guy got off easy. He could have had Jeffrey Dahmer as a roommate.
Or Phil Monkress….
It happens….
I can’t pretend to understand the struggles people go through to the extent where they commit homicide or suicide. We’ve all had our life experiences, and I’ve gotten to the point where I didn’t really care much, but I was never willing to harm myself or another person. We can share our opinions on this all we want, be they possible motivations for Schweikart to have done this, to what we feel are suitable punishments, but as the saying goes: “opinions are like arseholes…”
Mental health, especially when combined with mind-altering drugs–legally prescribed or self-medicated–is a very fragile thing. If someone tells me that they no longer value their life, I’m put on guard, because if they don’t value their own life, why should they value others’? From the homeless guy in Columbus, GA, yelling at himself while walking down an adjacent street before noticing me walking my dog parallel to him and turning his ire on me, to my own best friend who is now “Christ David” after spending months in a meth maze, I know two things: I have no desire to be around those in crisis, and if I were to ever find myself in a position where I were around them, I need to take every precaution I can. Condolences to the family of the deceased, and hopefully the murderer gets the help he needs, even if it’s eternal.
I knew a murderer once. He was a close friend of my wife’s when we met and seemed like a decent enough guy, having a wife and young daughter. He succumbed to himself, going down the path of drug-induced psychosis, and ultimately stabbed a paraplegic about 57 times trying to steal his drugs and money. I was in the courtroom when he pleaded “Guilty” and requested the death penalty, which he got. The state took too long carrying out the sentence, so he did it himself while on Virginia’s Death Row.