Erol Elmas, 31, was initially charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder but was found not guilty due to mental impairment
A man who stabbed another man to death in a psychotic rampage at a Dallas mosque had earlier served time in prison for stabbing two people, a court has heard.
Victoria
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A man who went on a deadly stabbing spree at a Melbourne mosque had previously spent time in jail for stabbing two others, a court has heard.
Erol Elmas, 31, stabbed to death Omer Ali Aysel, 68, and seriously injured three others in a psychotic rampage at the Turkish Islamic and Cultural Centre in Dallas on December 5, 2013 after claiming he had spoken to the devil.
He was initially charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder but was found not guilty due to mental impairment and ordered to spend 25 years at psychiatric facility Thomas Embling Hospital.
Elmas, who suffered from a schizoaffective disorder, was found unresponsive in a hospital seclusion room on November 30, 2022 following weeks of mental deterioration and violence toward nursing staff.
An inquest into his death was unable to determine his exact cause of death but found it occurred after a period of respiratory arrest, which Coroner Paul Lawrie found “should have triggered a medical emergency”.
In the lead up to his death, Elmas was monitored by staff but only from a distance due to his ongoing risk of aggression and physical violence.
Elmas had a history of assaulting staff and in the hours before his death had punched, kicked and pulled the hair of multiple workers.
He was visually observed at frequent intervals in the hours before his death, with staff noting periods of heart rate elevation and a fall after which Elmas declared himself okay and stood and shadow boxed in his room.
About 90 minutes after the fall, staff noticed a decline in his breathing and attempted to resuscitate him without success.
Elmas’ vital signs were not recorded on a standard observation chart which guides pathways to escalation in medical emergencies.
Judge Lawrie found “there was an opportunity for an earlier escalation of concerns about Mr Elmas’ physical signs which was not taken” but was unable to determine whether such action could have prevented his death.
He noted staff concerns about the harms posed by Elmas prevented physical observations from taking place.
“Having considered all the evidence, I am satisfied that there are no suspicious circumstances associated with the death of Mr Elmas. I am also satisfied that Mr Elmas was provided with appropriate medications at dosages that were within accepted clinical ranges for his presentation,” Judge Lawrie found.
The inquest heard Elmas was troubled from a young age, drinking and taking drugs as a pre-teen and spending time in juvenile detention for crimes including assault.
In 2009, he served time in prison for stabbing two people and on his release was charged and convicted of another assault in 2013, months before his deadly rampage.
Originally published as Erol Elmas, 31, was initially charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder but was found not guilty due to mental impairment
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