(Aug. 16, 2013) Tomorrow marks thirteen years since the tragic death of Kevin Heisinger, a 24-year-old University of Michigan graduate student who was killed in a Kalamazoo bus station by Brian Williams, a man with untreated mental illness.
Prior to the tragedy, Williams’ paranoid schizophrenia caused him to cycle in and out of institutions and the criminal justice system for years. He was functional when in treatment, but his condition consistently deteriorated when he stopped taking medication. Williams said voices made him beat Heisinger to death.
Following the tragedy, Heisinger’s family worked tirelessly to advance assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) in Michigan. Effective in 2005, Kevin’s Law authorizes court-ordered outpatient treatment for people with mental illness, like Williams, who are unable to help themselves or are likely to present a risk to others.
“Kevin’s Law will make our communities safer and at the same time provide compassionate, earlier care for people who seriously need it. Until today, families had to wait until their loved ones made a threat or actually hurt someone before they could get help….If the treatment is successful, the person never needs to reach a crisis point and hospitalization may be altogether averted,” said Senator Tom George, a co-sponsor of the milestone law, at the time of Kevin’s Law’s passing.
Heisinger’s death has left both an irreparable loss and a significant legacy. In taking a moment to remember Kevin Heisinger, we are reminded of the importance of providing treatment before tragedy.
Now Michigan must make better use of the law that this tragedy inspired.
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