Editorial: Lives in the balance

Monday, Sept. 20, 2004 | 9:06 a.m.

It's not immediately possible to pinpoint the blame, but something went wrong with our public safety system in the case of Richard Lentino. Now jailed on suspicion of having murdered his mother, his sister and baby nephew last week with a knife, Lentino gave plenty of warning that he represented a danger to himself and people around him.

After he was arrested, his landlord and fellow tenants at the Desert Springs Inn apartments recalled him walking around outside, muttering to himself while holding a butcher knife. He was recalled as displaying all manner of odd and sometimes violent behavior.

Lentino's landlord said he called Metro Police three times to report a mentally ill man with a knife. But he said the police operator told him nothing could be done because no crime had been committed. Metro could find no trace of any such calls. Lentino's roommate said in the days before the murders, he took Lentino to the state mental hospital on Charleston Boulevard. He said he was surprised when Lentino was back at the apartment three days later. The roommate's account cannot be confirmed because of federal privacy laws.

The fact remains, however, that numerous people remember Lentino behaving oddly, even violently, while carrying a knife. State law gives Metro the authority to commit anyone to a hospital, which is what Lentino's behavior warranted. We hope Metro Police and mental health professionals review the circumstances of this case. Could lives be saved through quicker intervention in such cases? It's a question begging for an answer.