| A court in Johnson County, Kansas sentenced a | | | | to his feelings of loss, anger and bereavement. The |
| mentally ill juvenile to life in prison with no chance of | | | | family of Terri Zenner deserves all our compassion. |
| parole for 50 years. Andrew Ellman was convicted of | | | | However, as a society we must overcome our |
| murdering his mental health worker, Terri Zenner. | | | | prejudice that mental illness is both incomprehensible |
| The defendant was 17 years old when he killed the | | | | and inexcusable. Otherwise, we could face even |
| victim. Because he was a juvenile at the time of the | | | | more tragedies like Teri Zenner's. |
| incident he was not eligible for the death penalty. | | | | More than seventy percent of youth in the juvenile |
| His victim, Teri Zenner, was 26 years old and recently | | | | justice system suffer from at least one mental health |
| married when he killed her. She worked for Johnson | | | | disorder, according to the National Center for Mental |
| County Mental Health trying to help Andrew Ellmaker | | | | Health and Juvenile Justice. For girls, the number is |
| learn skills and find a job. She stopped by Ellmaker's | | | | even higher. Eighty percent of girls in juvenile justice |
| Overland Park home on August 17, 2004, for a | | | | suffer mental illness. For all offenders, disruptive |
| routine home visit. | | | | disorders are the most common, followed by |
| She never left alive. Andrew Ellmaker stabbed her to | | | | substance use disorders, anxiety disorders and mood |
| death and cut her with a chainsaw. He also stabbed | | | | disorders. |
| his mother when she tried to intervene. | | | | Over sixty percent of youths in juvenile justice meet |
| Sue Ellmaker, the defendant's mother, survived the | | | | criteria for three or more disorders. Twenty five |
| ordeal. She pleaded for mercy at the sentencing | | | | percent find their lives seriously impaired by mental |
| because of her son's mental illness. She said that her | | | | illness. |
| son struggled early with mental illness. By the time he | | | | For many of their families, juvenile justice provides |
| became an adolescent, his mental disorders | | | | their first and only access to mental health services. |
| overwhelmed him. He walked the hallways of his high | | | | Sue Ellmaker testified that she kept her son in |
| school alone and wore a black sweatshirt with the | | | | institutions "until her insurance benefits ran out." Then |
| hood pulled over his eyes. She placed her son in | | | | he returned to the community, where he posed a |
| institutions until her insurance benefits ran out and | | | | deadly danger to the community. |
| then had to let him live at home. | | | | Juvenile justice is not set up for mental health |
| The victim's husband, Matt Zenner, cared nothing for | | | | services. The aims and services of juvenile justice |
| this defense. | | | | differ from the needs of the mentally ill youths who |
| "I'm sick and tired of hearing about mental illness," he | | | | enter the system. |
| said at the sentencing hearing. "Stand up and be a | | | | Families raising a child with mental illness feel |
| man. You sit there and stare at the floor.... It's | | | | frustrated, overwhelmed and exhausted. In my law |
| beyond my comprehension that you were able to do | | | | practice, we help these families by coordinating |
| this." | | | | special education, juvenile justice and mental health |
| As the husband of the victim, Matt Zenner is entitled | | | | services. |