Judge: Either treat or release mentally ill murder suspect

MARYSVILLE, Wash. – A Washington state judge has ordered that a mentally ill murder suspect be released from jail or admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

The Herald reported Snohomish County prosecutors on Thursday said they were looking at alternatives to prevent the release of 32-year-old Todd Brodahl. The Marysville man’s prosecution has been stalled for more than a decade while he was treated for schizoaffective disorder.

Prosecutors say they’ve called state officials and asked the state Attorney General’s Office to bump up Brodahl’s place on the waiting list at Western State Hospital, something the state is usually reluctant to do.

Other mentally ill inmates have been released because of delayed admissions at the hospital, despite a federal court order that they accept inmates within seven days.