Laura Williams’ Murder: Killed By Son
By SyndicatedNews | SNN.BZ
Laura Williams’ Brutal Murder: The Deadly Cost of America’s War on Hospitals for the Criminally Insane
New Canaan, CT – In the quiet affluence of New Canaan, Virginia native Laura Williams, 55, was bludgeoned to death in her $1.9 million home at 12 Gerdes Road last Friday by her own son, Sebastian van Stockum, 20. Covered in his mother’s blood, Sebastian fled into the woods screaming “Mama!” before confessing to police: “I killed my mom.” Authorities described the attack as “especially violent,” inflicting fatal blunt force trauma with a hammer.
Laura, a “driven and smart” antiques dealer, Georgetown University graduate, and devoted mother, supported Sebastian through his mental health struggles – even as they clashed over his path post-New Canaan High School. “She supported him in everything,” her brother David Williams said. But support wasn’t enough. Sebastian needed what America has systematically destroyed: secure, long-term hospitals for the dangerously mentally ill.
The Reckless Experiment That Failed
For decades, the U.S. has pursued deinstitutionalization – a “humane” policy that shuttered psychiatric asylums, promising community care for the severely mentally ill. In 1955, the nation boasted 558,000 state psychiatric beds – 340 per 100,000 people. Today? A pathetic 36,150 beds – just 10.8 per 100,000. Connecticut’s lone maximum-security facility, Whiting Forensic Hospital, houses the criminally insane – but with limited beds, it’s a revolving door, not prevention.
Society’s reckless idea? Mix the severely mentally ill – including the violent – with the public. It doesn’t work. Without walls, the dangerous roam free: 44% of jail inmates and 37% of prisoners suffer serious mental illness, turning prisons into the new asylums. Homelessness explodes among them – 40 times higher risk for those with disorders. Violent crimes follow: from subway slashings to family homicides like Laura’s.
A Brief History of Deinstitutionalization: How America Abandoned the Mentally Ill
- 1946–1955: Peak Institutionalization U.S. state mental hospitals reach 558,922 patients – the highest per capita in history. Conditions vary: some humane, many abusive and overcrowded.
- 1955: Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) First antipsychotic drug approved. Suddenly, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder appear “manageable” outside locked wards.
- 1963: Community Mental Health Act (JFK) President Kennedy signs law to fund 1,500 community mental health centers (CMHCs) to replace asylums. Only ~750 ever built; most underfunded.
- 1965: Medicaid & Medicare Federal law bans funding for patients in “institutions for mental diseases” (IMDs) if aged 22–64. States now incentivized to empty hospitals – but no money flows to community alternatives.
- 1970s: Civil Rights Era & O’Connor v. Donaldson (1975) Supreme Court rules states cannot confine nondangerous mentally ill who can survive outside. “Least restrictive environment” becomes legal dogma.
- 1980: Mental Health Systems Act (Carter) Promises comprehensive community care. Repealed in 1981 by Reagan via block grants – funding slashed 30%.
- 1980s–1990s: Mass Closure States close 300+ public psychiatric hospitals. Beds drop from 400,000 (1970) to under 100,000 (1990). CMHCs fail to absorb patients.
- 1990s–2000s: Criminalization Jails and prisons become de facto asylums. Los Angeles County Jail: world’s largest mental institution.
- 2008: Mental Health Parity Act Requires insurance to cover mental health – but only outpatient. No help for severe, chronic cases needing 24/7 care.
- 2010s: Kendra’s Law & Laura’s Law New York and California allow assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) – court-ordered meds. Underused: only ~20,000 enrolled nationwide.
- Today: 36,150 Public Beds Enough for 1 in 10 who need long-term care. 3.5 million Americans with severe mental illness live untreated in communities.
HIPAA: Shielding Killers, Endangering Families
Worse, HIPAA privacy laws tie families’ hands, mandating outpatient-only “care” for the highly dangerous. Therapists can’t share critical info without consent – even as patients spiral. Involuntary commitment? Nearly impossible without imminent threat. “Assisted outpatient treatment” is a joke: underfunded, unenforced.
Laura argued with Sebastian over his future, but HIPAA-blocked intervention left her defenseless. Whiting Forensic awaits him now – post-murder. Too late.
Time to Rebuild Asylums – For Everyone’s Safety
The dangerously mentally ill must be housed securely – not wandering streets or snapping in suburbia. They can’t hurt themselves or others behind compassionate, locked doors with real treatment. Reopen forensic hospitals. Override HIPAA for violence risks. End the madness.
Laura’s legacy? A clarion call. Her vibrant life – lacrosse star, UVA/UPenn athlete, NYC importer, loving mom – ends in blood because America chose ideology over safety.
| Murderer | Victim Details |
|---|---|
| Sebastian van Stockum | Laura Williams, 55, murdered at home (12 Gerdes Road, New Canaan, CT); antiques dealer, ex-lacrosse athlete (UVA/UPenn), Georgetown ’93, ex-editor (LA), importer (Seagram, NYC), mother |
| James Eagan Holmes | 12 killed, ages 6–51, Century 16 Theater, Aurora, CO (2012); moviegoers watching The Dark Knight Rises |
| Adam Lanza | Nancy Lanza (mother), 52, then 26 at Sandy Hook Elementary, Newtown, CT (2012); teacher, students |
| Seung-Hui Cho | 32 killed, ages 18–76, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (2007); students, professors |
| Jared Loughner | 6 killed incl. Christina-Taylor Green, 9, Tucson, AZ (2011); congresswoman’s event attendees |
| Nidal Hasan | 13 killed, ages 21–62, Fort Hood, TX (2009); soldiers, civilian employee |
| Aaron Alexis | 12 killed, Washington Navy Yard, D.C. (2013); contractors, security |
| Omar Mateen | 49 killed, Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, FL (2016); clubgoers |
| Dylann Roof | 9 killed, Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC (2015); Bible study members |
| Patrick Crusius | 23 killed, Walmart, El Paso, TX (2019); shoppers |
| Robert Bowers | 11 killed, Tree of Life Synagogue, Pittsburgh, PA (2018); worshippers |
| Nikolas Cruz | 17 killed, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL (2018); students, staff |
| DeWayne Craddock | 12 killed, Virginia Beach Municipal Center, VA (2019); city employees |
| Connor Betts | 9 killed, Ned Peppers Bar, Dayton, OH (2019); bar patrons |
| Stephen Paddock | 60 killed, Route 91 Harvest Festival, Las Vegas, NV (2017); concertgoers |
| Ian David Long | 12 killed, Borderline Bar, Thousand Oaks, CA (2018); college night patrons |
| Khalil Wheeler-Weaver | 3 women, ages 15–33, Essex County, NJ (2016); abducted via dating apps |
| Anthony Quinn Warner | Self + injured 8, AT&T bombing, Nashville, TN (2020); downtown pedestrians |
| Ricky Davis | Jane Doe, 78, Elyria, OH (1980s cold case); elderly neighbor |
| Maurice Nesbitt | 5 family members, Milwaukee, WI (2020); domestic mass killing |
