A judge has indicated she will allow a defense attorney to pursue an insanity defense in the case of a Villager charged with trying to kill his wife.
George Albert Hachey, 72, allegedly stabbed his wife 12 times on the morning of Sept. 28 at their home in the Village of De La Vista North. He is facing a charge of attempted first degree murder.
Hachey is being represented by criminal defense attorney Jaimie Washo Spivey, who had filed a motion indicating an intent to rely on an insanity defense. Judge Mary Hatcher agreed to allow the motion, after Washo Spivey, Hachey and a representative of the prosecutor’s office appeared before her in court.
In March, Hachey was evaluated by Dr. Steven Saunders, who filed a 22-page report indicating that an insanity defense is warranted in this case.
On the day of the attack, Hachey’s 68-year-old wife was able to call 911, after being stabbed in the legs, abdomen and chest.
“Don’t let me die,” she implored Sumter County sheriff’s deputies, who kicked open a bedroom door and found her on the floor of the home she shared with her husband on San Marino Drive. Deputies had entered the home after breaking a sliding glass door when no one responded to the door bell.
The wife gave deputies “a dying declaration,” indicating it was her husband who had stabbed her.
She said he had told her, “You’ve ruined my life, and now I’m going to end yours.” She was wearing underwear and a yellow shirt when she was stabbed in the bathroom. She was able to crawl to a bedroom where she called for help.
Deputies found Hachey in a recliner in the living room. He had inflicted “deep cuts” on his wrists and across his throat, using the same pocket knife he had used to stab his wife. A paramedic who helped transport Hachey to Ocala Regional Medical Center, told deputies that Hachey told him, “I just tried killing my wife. I don’t want help, I want to die.”
Hachey’s wife filed for divorce about a month before the brutal attack. She has also sought an order of protection in fear of his possible release on bond. Hachey continues to be held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center. A previous motion to set bond was denied.