Shaddy Dealings

Crime does pay--sort of

When Gregory Shaddy was 18, he left his parents' home in the wealthy Westside section of Wichita, Kans. He had good reason: his father, Vernon, 42, an insurance salesman, often beat Gregory with belts, garden hoses and golf clubs. His mother, Barbara, 37, was also strict and harsh. Some two months after his departure, on the night of July 24, 1975, Gregory returned home--with a knife and an ax. He killed his parents and stuffed their bodies into their bedroom closet. Last week Shaddy was a free man. And soon, maybe, a richer man. Gregory and his brother, Scott, will split their parents' estate, which is estimated to be upwards of $400,000.

How did Shaddy, who confessed to the murders, manage to escape punishment? After his first trial ended in a hung jury (deadlocked 10 to 2 for conviction), he was acquitted at his second trial on the grounds of insanity. Under Kansas law, a person acquitted of murder on psychiatric grounds is sent to the state security hospital at Larned until he has been pronounced cured. When hospital officials proposed to free Shaddy last June, a hearing was held; and a psychiatrist, psychologist and social worker testified that Shaddy was cured of any insanity and was not dangerous to anyone. Remarked Clinical Director George W. Getz: "I really don't know whether he was originally insane; but it doesn't matter. The jury found that he was, and he was assigned to us. I really feel sorry for juries because of all the damn fool things psychiatrists say."

At the June hearing, Shaddy was ordered to stay in the hospital, but a follow-up hearing last week released him. The police and prosecutors are angry. Says Wichita D.A. Vern Miller: "People wonder whether there is something wrong with the System. Most of the police on the case say he never was insane." Added Deputy Police Chief Bill Cornwell: "Part of our problem was that evidence procedures today are such that you are unable to say the things that you want to a jury." The prosecution's view remains the same: that Shaddy hoodwinked the psychiatrists as well as the jury.

As for the inheritance, which was cited as a possible motive for the murders, there is no way to stop Shaddy from getting his share since he was not convicted of a felony. But Shaddy probably will not get to keep much of his new wealth. His legal fees are running more than $60,000, and there are doctors' bills and sizable payments to be made for the several court proceedings since his two trials. There will be just about enough left for him to attend Washburn University in Topeka to study political science.

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