NewsMilitary

Actions

Jamiel Graves mental evaluation points to PTSD, cocaine abuse and hallucinations

Posted at 9:06 PM, Feb 08, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-08 21:06:58-05

NewsChannel 3 has reviewed the Norfolk court ordered mental evaluation for Jamiel Graves, the Norfolk man deemed competent to stand trial after being accused of murdering both his next door neighbor, Phylicia Robinson, and the mother of his children, Mandi Myers.

Norfolk police found Robinson dead in Graves’ closet weeks after the single mother went missing late last year. The night before that discovery, Virginia Beach police found Myers dead in her own closet.

According to the evaluation, Graves had "multiple psychiatric admissions and psychiatric treatment at the Hampton Veterans Administration as well as other facilities."

Graves, an Iraq war veteran, told doctors he had a "few incidents in Iraq seeing friends and fellow soldiers being killed and blown up."

He said after that he had "paranoid delusions" and "believed people were coming for him through his door or window to do harm to him."

The evaluation said Graves was placed on medications like Seroquel, Zoloft and Prazosin, but he was "not compliant with his medication and counseling" before Robinson’s death.

The report says Graves' mother "was apparently aware her son was on a cocaine binge for two days prior to the crime".

Graves' mother is also quoted as saying, "he was a little more isolated than usual after the crime, staying in his room a long time, but would come out to eat when everybody was asleep and he would sleep on the couch."

While Robinson’s family and friends spent weeks looking for her all over Ocean View, the report says Graves' stepfather saw Graves "playing video games."

His stepfather also said Graves "may have had a section 8 discharge which is for mental health reasons and being unfit for duty."

The report noted that when the evaluators met with Graves, he seemed depressed but did have a grip on reality.  He told them, "I’m feeling better and talking to God a lot."

Related: 

Man accused of killing Norfolk mother found competent to stand trial

Man accused of killing two Hampton Roads mothers to undergo mental evaluation

Funeral held for slain mother

Murdered mother’s co-workers take action to help her 5-year-old son

Murder victim’s family worries former Army reservist charged will use PTSD as defense

Man accused of killing Norfolk mother arraigned on murder charges

Jamiel Graves in court today

Family, friends hold vigil for Norfolk woman found dead in neighbor’s closet