Opinion ID: 196623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ecker's History in Federal Psychiatric Facilities

Text: 4 Ecker's history in federal psychiatric facilities is long and twisted; full detail is unnecessary to resolve the issue before us, so we summarize. From January 1990 through March 1993, federal authorities, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4241(d), conducted seven competency evaluations of Ecker. After five of these, Ecker was found incompetent, and on two occasions he was found competent. Authorities at one point reported that Ecker displayed excellent knowledge of the federal mental health statutes, and concerns were raised that his mental health problems were of a questionable nature. In March 1993, federal authorities concluded finally that Ecker was not competent for trial and that it was unlikely that he would regain competency in the near future. 5 The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, where the indictment was (and is) pending, determined that there was no likelihood of trial and ordered the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota (FMC-Rochester), to determine if Ecker was dangerous and therefore subject to indefinite commitment under 18 U.S.C. § 4246. The director of FMC-Rochester did find Ecker dangerous, and the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota accordingly instituted commitment proceedings in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. In October 1993, the Minnesota district court ordered Ecker committed to the custody of the Attorney General under section 4246, and the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed. United States v. Ecker, 30 F.3d 966, 971 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 679, 130 L.Ed.2d 611 (1994). 6 In October 1994, the staff at the Federal Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri (FMC-Springfield), where Ecker is currently in custody, filed an annual report of Ecker's mental condition as required by 18 U.S.C. § 4247(e). The report stated that Ecker was generally able to answer the panel's questions in a logical, coherent, and goal-directed manner. It went on, however, to conclude that Mr. Ecker is currently a substantial risk to others or the property of others due to mental illness. The civil commitment statute, 18 U.S.C. § 4246, requires Federal authorities to place Ecker in an appropriate state institution in his home state, Massachusetts, if possible. Officials at FMC-Springfield, however, determined that Massachusetts would not accept Ecker in a state institution because of the pendency of the federal indictment. Thus, Ecker remains hospitalized at FMC-Springfield. 7