California MMA fighter Jarrod Wyatt, accused of ripping out friend’s heart and tongue, pleads guilty to murder
Witnesses say the two had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms before the attack and believed they were involved in a struggle between God and the devil
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012, 10:04 AM
DEL NORTE COUNTY SHERIFF; FACEBOOK
This undated photo provided by the Del Norte County Sheriffs Office shows Jarrod Wyatt. On Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012, Jarrod Wyatt, a mixed-martial artist accused of ripping out his friend’s still-beating heart in March of 2010, pleaded guilty to murder and mayhem charges.
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — A Northern California mixed-martial artist accused of ripping out his friend’s heart and removing his tongue while the two were on hallucinogenic drugs has pleaded guilty to murder and mayhem charges.
Jarrod Wyatt of Crescent City agreed to a plea deal in which he will serve 50 years to life in prison, Del Norte County prosecutors said. His official sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Wyatt pleaded guilty to first-degree murder involving mayhem in the March 21, 2010, death of his sparring partner, 21-year-old Taylor Powell, prosecutors said.
“The earliest he’ll be able to see a parole board is 2062,” District Attorney Jon Alexander said. “We saved Taylor’s family the agony from reliving the incident at the trial.”
Wyatt’s attorney, James Fallman, said his 29-year-old client didn’t want to testify at trial and he didn’t want his family to testify.
“We looked for an agreement that would at least give him the opportunity to be paroled someday,” Fallman said. “As bad as 50 years to life sounds, it’s better than life without the possibility of parole.”
The agreement was reached Thursday night, four days before Wyatt’s trial was to begin in Crescent City, the Eureka Times-Standard reported Friday (http://bit.ly/SqGjjR ).
When police arrived that day at a home at the mouth of the Klamath River, they found Wyatt naked and covered in blood. He told the officers, “I killed him,” and said he had cut out Powell’s heart and tongue, according to court documents.
The officers found Powell’s body on the couch of the Requa home. His chest was cut open, and his heart, tongue and the skin of his face were gone, court records said. His heart was found charred in a wood-burning stove.
An autopsy determined the organs had been removed while Powell was still alive, the documents said.
Witnesses say the two had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms before the attack and believed they were involved in a struggle between God and the devil.
Wyatt had entered duel pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, prompting psychiatrists to evaluate his mental competence. In May, a judge ruled Wyatt was competent to stand trial.
1 comment
SANDRA5843 hours ago
I believe that the man who killed his “friend” may have ingested something other than the mushrooms he claims. The article failed to mention testing for the type of mushroom, nor toxicology reports testing for any other drugs, although I am sure they were conducted. The press would prefer to demonize any drug not cleared by the FDA, and perhaps with good reason. Nevertheless, given the type of fighting in which the killer and his victim were participants, I would wonder if steroids were part of the toxic mix involved.
I, too, know enough through experience and study to know that different types of mushrooms provide very different effects. Mushrooms, in particular, can be simply poisonous. And “natural” does not mean “harmless.”
I also am aware that any drug taken without the presence and safety provided by a sober control, able to assist and guide the experience, is a recipe for disaster. If these two were seeking some mind-altering experience, in a misguided attempt to enhance their martial arts abilities, they were both sadly ignorant of the demands of their sport and the true fragility of the human mind and spirit.
This man is sane, but unfortunately, ignorant, and horrific death resulted.