Ralph Tortorici Case Summary

The case on Ralph Tortorici a psychology student who held more than three dozen SUNY-Albany student’s hostage in a classroom on December 14, 1994; while, in a psychotic state, he injured a fellow student during such a hostage takeover at the State Univerity of New York. According to Ralph’s brother, Matthew Tortorici; Ralph had suffered from delusions for several years before such incident at the State University of New York. Therefore, Matthew stated that Ralph’s “delusions fed and elaborated a conspiracy theory; since, he had both a functional life and what was really happening behind the scenes.” Moreover, Ralph Tortorici claimed several times that the police were hunting and tracking him; and even reckoned that Matthew his brother, as well

Such evaluation of, incompetence confined him to the Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center for treatment – “until late-March 1995 when a psychiatrist at the Mid-Hudson decided that Tortorici met the requirements for competency.” While, the trial began in January 1996, a month later, Judge Rosen on February 1996, sentenced Ralph Tortorici to 20 to 47 years in prison on 10 counts. Those counts were – four of kidnapping, four of reckless endangerment, one of first-degree assault and one of first-degree criminal use of a firearm – sending Tortorici to the Sullivan Correctional Facility; “where placed in the mental health unit in his own cell.” Ralph lost his insanity case because the professionals thought he fitted the “legal definition of competency” to stand trial. For that reason, on August 10, 1999, Ralph Tortorici committed suicide, hanging himself with a bed-sheet in his cell at Sullivan Correctional Facility. Although Judge Rosen, recognized how the system had failed Ralph, this is just another classic example of what happens when an incompetent defendant authorized to stand trial by “experts of the