A 21-year-old Wittenberg man charged with murder in his father's death has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital.
During a plea hearing in October, the defense for Joshua Johnson called two doctors to the stand. They testified Johnson suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. They said Johnson told them he was hearing voices and getting messages from his television screen telling him to kill his father.
According to the criminal complaint, Joshua Johnson allegedly shot, beat and stabbed his father, Donald Johnson, 53. He also allegedly tried to break his neck. The coroner says Donald Johnson's final cause of death was that he bled to death. According to a news release from the Sheriff's Department, Donald Johnson's death was caused by "a series of aggressive acts."
Joshua Johnson was taken into custody February 21, after he called dispatch to report the death at his home on Eland Road in Wittenberg.
Earlier this year, prosecutors recommend he be institutionalized for life. The defense recommended he be institutionalized, treated and released.
It is unclear at this time whether he could petition for release from the mental hospital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
