BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) – A Bloomington man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in his daughter’s 2009 beating death will remain in a state mental health facility a while longer.
Thomas Meece received preliminary approval in May to be released to a Springfield group home, pending administrative paperwork.
The Pantagraph reports that last week Judge Robert Freitag postponed the hearing on Meece’s release to Aug. 30.
The delay followed a report from the Elgin Mental Health Center, where Meece has been held. Staff said he had been irritable and displayed a lack of patience, which Meece attributed to anxiety about his move.
Meece has been in state care since the 2010 insanity ruling in the death of 14-month-old Erika Meece. Authorities say they found Thomas Meece outside the home wielding a baseball bat.
