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Michigan Man Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

Michigan Man Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

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01-31-2026, 08:29 AM
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Michigan Man Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

Roger Albert Schweda, 40 at the time of the incident, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the fatal shootings of his mother and a neighbor in Leoni Township, Michigan, on December 7, 2024, and was committed indefinitely to a state forensic psychiatric center.

Police said Schweda fatally shot his mother, Shari Schweda, 70, inside her home in the 6900 block of Welch Lake Road, a rural, wooded area of Leoni Township in Jackson County. He then left a voicemail for neighbor Thomas Farnsworth, 57, saying his mother was dead and he was unable to enter the home. Farnsworth called 911 at approximately 1:56 p.m. to request a welfare check and walked to the property while confirming the address with dispatchers. While Farnsworth remained on the call, Schweda arrived or returned and fatally shot him in the driveway before fleeing in his mother's vehicle.

Responding officers found Farnsworth in the driveway and Shari Schweda inside the home. The 911 recording captured a gunshot and Farnsworth becoming unresponsive. Police reports referenced at arraignment described the mother's bedroom as a "gruesome scene," but no further forensic details were released. Authorities publicly detailed no extensive premeditation, staging or cleanup.

The vehicle was entered into a license-plate reader system as possibly stolen and located by Flock cameras traveling from the village of Brooklyn into Columbia Township. Columbia Township police attempted a stop. Schweda fled a short distance before stopping and was arrested without further incident with assistance from a Jackson County Sheriff's deputy. Police also collected the voicemail, vehicle-tracking data and Schweda's statements during police and psychological interviews.

During interviews, Schweda claimed China had attacked the U.S. that morning, denied that the victim was his mother and said Farnsworth had come to kill him. Court-appointed forensic evaluations determined he was experiencing a severe break from reality. He had no prior recorded history of mental illness, and police had received no previous calls for service at the residence. No traditional personal, financial or prior-dispute motive was reported.

Schweda was arraigned December 9, 2024, in Jackson County on two counts of open murder and two counts of felony firearm, using a firearm to commit a felony. He was held without bond and referred to the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry, which found him incompetent in January 2025 but restorable with medication. He was later found competent while medicated, waived a preliminary examination on July 18, 2025, and was bound over to circuit court. The defense filed notice of intent to pursue not guilty by reason of insanity, and the case was assigned to Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain.

Court-appointed forensic psychologist Dr. Glenn Toplyn's evaluation supported the determination that Schweda was insane at the time of the offenses. On or about January 20, 2026, Judge McBain ordered him committed to the state-run Center for Forensic Psychiatry, where he remains indefinitely until mental-health professionals deem him fit for release. No criminal prison sentence was imposed because the finding meant he could not be held criminally responsible, though he remains subject to involuntary mental-health commitment.

The video is about 30 minutes of police interview-room footage. It presents the interview itself, without narration or a presenter.
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