Nearly a decade after a Whatcom County court repeatedly found him incompetent to stand trial and twice dismissed his case, a Bellingham man accused of stabbing three family members is back in court next week on murder charges filed for the third time.
Per Olaf Johansson, 44, is accused of stabbing his father, Raymond Edler Johansson, 69, more than 30 times in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2010 at the family's home in the 1400 block of Lahti Drive. The younger Johansson is also accused of stabbing his mother, Loretta, then age 64, and his then 13-year-old niece several times before fleeing the house, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.
Johansson's father died before arriving at St. Joseph's hospital in Bellingham. His mother and niece were treated for multiple stab wounds and survived.
Johansson was previously charged with the stabbings in December 2010 and again in August 2014, court documents show. But both times the charges were dismissed on grounds that he was incompetent to stand trial. Johansson was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and told Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies after his arrest in December 2010 that he had recently stopped taking his medications and any illegal drugs, the records state.
Since 2013, he's been held at Western State Hospital, the state psychiatric hospital in Lakewood, on a civil commitment.
After his arrest in 2010, Johansson confessed to stabbing his father, mother and niece and told deputies he committed the assaults "because he felt compelled to in order to protect his children," court records state.
In several forensic psychiatric interviews conducted with Johansson over the next four years, Johansson repeatedly denied having a mental illness and later was adamant that someone else had stabbed his family members. He also refused to consider a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity or a diminished capacity defense due to his "dead set" belief that he did not have schizophrenia, according to court records.
At least two court orders were issued authorizing Johansson to be involuntarily medicated while he was at Western State Hospital.
Multiple psychiatrists who evaluated Johansson determined he was able to understand the nature of the court proceedings and charges against him, but was unable to rationally assist his attorney in his defense, the records show.
The court ultimately dismissed both of Johansson's previous cases without prejudice, which gave prosecutors the ability to refile charges if Johansson regained competency.
Because the court determined Johansson was a high risk for future dangerous behavior or for repeating similar acts of violence, he was civilly committed to Western State Hospital after his criminal cases were dismissed. He has remained there since July 16, 2013, according to court records.
Roughly a month ago, the Whatcom prosecutor's office received notice that the state psychiatric facility intended to release Johansson because his competency had improved, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Richey said in a Wednesday, April 26 interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Learning that Johansson's release was "imminent," Richey refiled charges against him on March 31 — one count of second-degree murder while armed with a deadly weapon and two counts of second-degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon.
It's the third time in 13 years that Johansson is facing identical charges.
"This case is happening now because he would be released by Western State Hospital if we did not file charges. We filed charges to make sure that our community is protected in the best way that we can," Richey said.
When asked whether he had concerns about Johansson's current ability to stand trial, Richey said he was limited in what he could say while the case was pending, but added that "we will address competency issues as the case goes forward."
Johansson was transferred from Western State Hospital to the downtown Whatcom County Jail last week.
In a response to questions sent by The Herald, Johansson's public defense attorneys, Kevin Flannery and Scott Schmidt, said Thursday "Like any member of our community, Mr. Johansson is presumed innocent, and the Constitution guarantees him a fair trial. We look forward to defending him."
Flannery and Schmidt did not answer The Herald's questions about whether there are current concerns related to Johansson's ability to stand trial or the possibility that his mental health will decompensate while he's incarcerated in the county jail.
If Johansson is found incompetent to stand trial, the cycle that has played out over the past 13 years could repeat itself.
Johansson's first appearance in court for the newly refiled case was on Tuesday, April 25, when a court commissioner set Johansson's bail at $3 million.
His arraignment is scheduled for May 5.
