by KYW’s John McDevitt
A twenty-seven-year old Philadelphia man, who plead guilty to brutally attacking a sleeping subway rider with a hammer last year, was sentenced on Friday.
Twenty-seven- year- old Thomas Scantling of Philadelphia said he heard voices in his head and took PCP to sooth him. He said he was not taking his medication for his mental illness -- diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia -- when he struck 20-year-old Dwayne Taylor with a hammer in September of 2008.
Scantling was sentenced to 4 to 10 years in prison. The judge said the angle dust abuse contributed to the violence.
Scantling pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and a weapons charge.
Although physically recovered from the attack, the victim’s mother Tracy Taylor testified her son was traumatized by the assault and is not the same person.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
