The man who stabbed Ekho Moskvy journalist Tanya Felgenhauer in her office last October has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and pronounced unfit to stand trial.
Felgenhauer, the deputy editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, was stabbed in the neck on Oct. 23 by Boris Grits, 48, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen who had returned to Russia after losing employment in Israel.
Grits was wrestled to the ground by security guards after bursting into Felgenhauer’s office to attack the journalist. He was subsequently arrested by police and sent for an evaluation at a psychiatric hospital.
An initial psychological examination said that Grits had become obsessed with Felgenhauer and believed she was "sexually harassing" him by "using telepathic means of contact."
Psychologists have now determined that Grits was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, Felgenhauer's lawyer, Sergei Badamshin, was cited as saying on Wednesday by the state-run TASS news agency.
"At the present time, Grits cannot correctly perceive the circumstances of the case and give testimony, and requires compulsory treatment in a medical institution,” medical experts said in a document cited by TASS.
Badamshin said that he and his client "were familiar with the conclusions and believe that there is no reason to doubt them," TASS reported.
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