Crossbow suspect’s mental state in question

What role will Lisa Marie Caplan’s mental state play as she faces homicide charges for the crossbow killing of her mother, Sandra Barndt?

Caplan, 51, of Palmerton, sits in Carbon County Correctional Facility, accused of killing her mother, 71-year-old Barndt, with a crossbow.

Police say that Caplan admitted to shooting her mother twice, in the neck and facial area, with a the weapon on the evening of Sept. 27. She allegedly retrieved the weapon from her upstairs bedroom after she said the two had a verbal argument. After the alleged attack, she told police, she went back upstairs and went to sleep without attempting to render any aid.

Caplan has applied for and been assigned a public defender. But a Philadelphia-area attorney says he has also been hired by her family to see that Caplan’s mental illness is adequately considered as her case goes through the courts.

Jon Ostroff says he is not a criminal defense attorney. But he is interested in finding Caplan one, and in the meantime, getting her a psychiatric evaluation to determine her mental state at the time of the homicide.

“She has a very well-known, very well-documented history of mental illness, and well-known to all of the police involved at this point,” he said.

In Pennsylvania, a psychiatric evaluation can be requested by a client’s defense attorney, prosecutors, or the judge. As of Tuesday morning, no one had filed for one.

Her appointed public defender, Jennifer Rapa, did not return messages left at her office.

Because he hasn’t officially appeared on Caplan’s behalf, Ostroff is not able to file a petition himself. He says he sent letters to the district attorney’s office, state police, Carbon County Correctional Facility and the public defender’s office, pleading with them to get Caplan an evaluation.

“To put all this bureaucracy between her and an evaluation is denying her due process,” he said.

District Attorney Jean Engler said Tuesday that the decision to evaluate an accused person’s mental status rests with the judge. She said that she has received no confirmation or record of any diagnosis that Caplan may have received.

Engler declined to discuss specifics about the case, citing ethical constraints.

Ostroff said that Caplan was released from inpatient treatment for schizophrenia in May. He said that she has been treated for chronic schizophrenia for years before this incident.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Chad Steskal, Barndt’s son, had wanted his mother to move to Florida so he could care for her.

He said she had spent her life caring for others, including Caplan.

“I wanted her to free herself of the burden of looking after my sister,” Steskal said. “But she couldn’t abandon her daughter.”

Steskal said Barndt had “concerns” about her daughter, but didn’t appear to be afraid.

“I don’t believe my mom was afraid my sister would hurt her. She never expressed to me that she thought my sister was a danger to her, physically,” Steskal said.

Yet Barndt, who had managed group homes before her retirement a year ago, was apparently contemplating a change. Steskal said she was supposed to meet with a real estate agent on Friday, the day police discovered her body. 

“She’s giving to a fault,” Steskal, his voice breaking, said of his mother. “So giving that she sacrificed everything for her children and, ultimately, her own life.”

Barndt’s body was discovered during a welfare check on Sept. 29. According to police, Caplan admitted to killing her two days prior.

Ostroff said that on several occasions in the days leading up to the discovery, local and state police were called to the First Street home that Caplan and Barndt shared.

As police conducted their investigation at the home on Friday, neighbors shared stories about how Caplan was seen carrying a shovel around town, exhibiting other odd behavior and appearing disheveled.

Ostroff said he has learned that neighbors saw her with the crossbow as well.

He said it is essential to get her mental state evaluated as quickly as possible because schizophrenia patients can often go through shifts in their mental status and suddenly appear more lucid.

“With each day that passes, the transient nature of her mental illness becomes more of an issue. If she’s not in the state of mind she was in when this happened, then the assessment loses credibility,” Ostroff said.

Mike Rubinkam of the Associates Press contributed to this report.