30 October 1985 ko, Springfield, Pennsylvania ke Springfield Mall mein ek bhayanak ghatna ghati thi. 25 varshiya Sylvia Seegrist ne mall ke andar ghus kar andhaadhund firing ki, jismein teen logon ki jaan gayi aur saat anya ghaayal ho gaye. Is ghatna ne poore desh ko hila kar rakh diya tha aur manasik swasthya aur kanoon vyavastha par gambheer prashna khade kiye the.
Seegrist ka jeevan bachpan se hi kathin raha tha. Unki maa, Ruth Seegrist, ne court mein gavaahi di thi ki jab Sylvia aath saal ki thi, tab unke dada ne unka yawn utpeedan kiya tha. Yeh ghatna unke manasik swasthya par gehra prabhav daalne lagi thi. 16 saal ki umr mein, unhe pehli baar manasik aspatal mein bharti kiya gaya aur schizophrenia ka diagnosis hua. Agle kuch varshon mein, unhe kai baar aspatal mein bharti aur chhoda gaya, lekin unki sthiti mein koi sudhaar nahi hua. Unhone U.S. Army mein bhi bharti hone ka prayas kiya, lekin vahan bhi unke asamaanya vyavhaar ke kaaran do mahine baad unhe nikal diya gaya. Is dauran, unhone Springfield Mall mein aksar samay bitaya, jahan ve graahakon ko pareshan karti aur anya mass shootings ki prashansa karti thi.
Ghatna ke din, Sylvia ne mall ke bahar apni car se utar kar ek .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle nikala aur bina kisi chune huye nishane ke logon par goliyaan chalane lagi. Sabse pehle, unhone do varshiya Recife Cosmen ko goli maari, jo apne maata-pita ke saath wahaan maujood tha. Iske baad, unhone mall ke andar ghus kar aur logon par goliyaan chalaayi, jismein Ernest Trout aur Augusto Ferrara ki jaan gayi. Ant mein, ek graduate chhaatr, John Laufer, ne himmat dikhate hue Sylvia ko roka aur unse hathiyaar chheen liya, jisse aur jaan-malon ka nuksaan ruk gaya.
Giraftaar hone ke baad, Sylvia par teen logon ki hatya aur saat logon ke hatya ka prayas karne ka aarop laga. Unke vakeel ne daava kiya ki Sylvia apne manasik rog ke kaaran apne karmon ki samajh nahi rakhti thi, lekin prosecution ne kaha ki ve apne kriyaon ke parinaamon se avagat thi. Antatah, jury ne unhe “guilty but mentally ill” ka verdict diya, jiska matlab tha ki unhe jeevan paryant kaaravaas ki saza milegi, lekin manasik chikitsa ke saath.
Aaj, Sylvia Seegrist Pennsylvania ke State Correctional Institution at Muncy mein apni saza kaat rahi hain. Unki umr 64 varsh hai. Unka jeevan aur unki ghatna manasik swasthya vyavastha aur kanoon ke beech ke sambandh par ek mahatvapurn charcha ka vishay bana raha hai. Unke maamle ne is baat ko ujaagar kiya ki kaise manasik rogon se peedit vyaktiyon ki pehchaan aur unka upchar samajh aur kanoon, dono ke liye kitna aavashyak hai.
Is ghatna ke baad, manasik swasthya aur kanoon vyavastha ke sambandh mein kai sudhaarnaayein ki gayi hain, taaki aise vyaktiyon ki pehchaan aur unka upchar samay par ho sake, aur samajh ko aise bhayanak ghatnaon se bachaya ja sake. Sylvia Seegrist ka jeevan aur unki kahani is baat ka pramaan hai ki manasik swasthya ko nazarandaaz karna kitna khatarnak ho sakta hai, aur is vishay par samvedansheel aur satark rehne ki kitni aavashyakta hai.