Tyree Smith Conditional Release (Connecticut, 2025)
Tyree Smith Conditional Release (Connecticut, 2025) documents the February 2025 decision by the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) to grant conditional release to Tyree Smith, who in 2012 killed a homeless man with an axe and cannibalized parts of his body. Smith had been committed to a psychiatric hospital for up to 60 years but was released after approximately 12 years.
The Crime (2011-2012)
In mid-December 2011, Tyree Smith arrived at his cousin Nicole Rabb's house and told her he had "to get blood on his hands." The next day, he returned with blood on his pants and carrying an axe, saying he wanted to take a bath.[1]
Smith told Rabb he had been sleeping on the second-floor porch of 216 Brooks Street in Bridgeport when Angel Gonzalez, 43, a homeless man, invited him to the third floor to get out of the cold. Smith then beat Gonzalez with the axe so severely that he was able to remove an eye from the man's head along with pieces of brain matter and a piece of his skull.[1]
Smith then went to Lakeview Cemetery, where, according to the arrest warrant affidavit, "he ate the eyeball, which tasted like an oyster, and the brain matter."[1]
Gonzalez's decomposed body was found in the abandoned building on Brooks Street on January 20, 2012. He had suffered severe wounds to his face and head.[1]
Trial and Commitment (2013)
In 2013, a three-judge panel in Bridgeport Superior Court found Smith not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The panel ruled that the state had proven its murder case but found that Smith could not control his actions due to his mental condition. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to the Whiting Forensic Hospital for up to 60 years.[1]
Path to Release
- August 2023 — After 10 years at Whiting Forensic Hospital, Smith was granted temporary leave privileges by the PSRB.[1]
- November 2023 — Granted his first overnight stay away from the hospital.[1]
- April 2024 — Spending seven days a week away from Whiting.[1]
- Mid-2024 onward — Spent nine months "full time" in the community at a facility with 24/7 supervision.[1]
- February 21, 2025 — PSRB granted conditional release after a hearing. Smith did not attend in person, citing intense media attention and safety concerns, and instead watched virtually.[1]
Dr. Caren Teitelbaum, a forensic psychiatry specialist, told the board that Smith's schizophrenia had been "in remission" since he got on the correct medication regimen.[1]
PSRB Justification
The board stated: "Mr. Smith has demonstrated long-term stability, remained engaged in all recommended treatments, and consistently followed his care plan." His release requires structured supervision and continued mental health services.[2]
The PSRB emphasized: "Rehabilitation, not punishment, is the goal for all individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity."[2]
Political Response
State Republican senators Heather Somers, Paul Cicarella, Henri Martin, and Stephen Harding called the decision "outrageous and mind-boggling," stating:[2]
The victim's family had raised objections to the release during the proceedings.[2]
Significance
The case raises fundamental questions about the intersection of criminal justice and psychiatric treatment:
- A man who committed an extraordinarily violent murder — including cannibalism — served approximately 12 years of a potential 60-year commitment
- The NGRI (Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity) framework explicitly prioritizes "rehabilitation, not punishment"
- The victim, Angel Gonzalez, was a homeless man with no apparent advocates beyond the political figures who objected
- The phased release process allowed Smith to spend months in the community before formal conditional release was granted