PRINCETON: Insanity ruling in murder

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   A schizophrenic man was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of his roommate at Princeton House two years ago.
   Superior Court Judge Thomas W. Sumners Jr. made that decision at a Dec. 13 bench trial of Michael Leal, a New Brunswick resident charged with murder in the Feb. 11, 2010, death of 69-year-old James Dunlavy. He will be confined to a state-run psychiatric hospital for up to 30 years, lawyers in the case said.
   Guillermo Arango, his defense lawyer, said Friday that Mr. Leal had been at the Princeton House on Herrontown Road for less than two weeks, put there because his mother had gone to court seeking to have him committed.
   Among other services, the facility has inpatient treatment for people suffering from mental disorders.
   Mr. Leal, then 18 years old, was a roommate of Mr. Dunlavy, a Highland Park resident who also had been committed to the facility that is part of Princeton HealthCare System.
   According to lawyers in the case, Mr. Leal has stated that he had felt guilty after having had sex with Mr. Dunlavy. Suffering what his lawyer called a “mental break,” he used his fists and knees to beat Mr. Dunlavy then covered his victim’s face with a pillow. Mr. Dunlavy was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said at the time.
   A Mercer County grand jury indicted Mr. Leal in September 2010 on one count of murder. Though Mr. Leal was competent to stand trial, Mr. Arango said doctors had determined that at the time of the incident, Mr. Leal was unable to form intent — a critical and necessary element to convict someone of murder.
   Mr. Aragno said he expects that Mr. Leal, now 21, eventually will be housed in the Ann Klein Forensic Center, a state-run psysiatrictic hospital that cares for mentally ill patients who are in the legal system.
   Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Brian McCauley said Friday that Mr. Leal would have to stay there for up to 30 years, but if at some point a doctor determines he no longer poses a risk to himself or others, he could be released sooner.
   Mr. Arango said Mr. Leal’s and Mr. Dunlavy’s families have filed separate civil suits claiming negligence by staff at Princeton House. Princeton Health Care had no comment.