DELAWARE — Bryanna Dutcher wore a blue prison jump suit into court on Monday, and became the third person arraigned in connection with her mother’s murder.
The 18-year-old Dutcher pleaded not guilty before Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Marianne Hemmeter concerning a case that has drawn national attention.
Dutcher murder case
Tamela Dutcher, 55, was shot to death at her Bean Oller Road home on Aug. 14. Bryanna Dutcher told investigators she argued with her mother about cleaning earlier that day and later called her boyfriend Christian Evans to “vent.” Dutcher’s parents did not know she was dating Evans, a Black man, because they were “very racist” and would have “kicked her out of the house.”
On the night of the shooting, Bryanna Dutcher told investigators Evans and Evans’ friend and roommate, Dajameous Payne, came to the Bean Oller Road home in Evans’ Camaro.
Bryanna Dutcher said she heard the gunshot 10 to 15 minutes after the men left. She maintained she did not see who fired the shot and denied involvement in the slaying.
Dutcher was indicted by a Delaware County grand jury on Aug. 20 and charged with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony, as opposed to her original first-degree felony murder charge.
Dutcher’s co-defendants Christian Evans and Dajameous Payne pleaded not guilty on Aug. 21 at their arraignments after the same grand jury indicted them for aggravated murder. Evans pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Samuel Shamansky previously represented Dutcher during her initial hearing on Aug. 17, but court records state he is no longer representing Dutcher.
Dominic Mango represented Dutcher during her arraignment and entered the plea on her behalf.
Additionally, Hemmeter maintained the $3 million bond that the court set during Dutcher’s initial hearing. The judge also scheduled Dutcher’s final pretrial for Oct. 19 and a trial date for Nov. 3.
The two other arraignments from this case:
Tamela Dutcher’s paper on adolescents’ homicidal tendencies
In 2002, Bryanna’s mother Tamela Dutcher, PhD, co-wrote a paper on homicidal tendencies in adolescents titled “The violent and homicidal adolescent. Hearts darkened before time.”
The introduction of the paper states that the number of youth being killed or killing other people is increasing. This section of the paper adds that a majority of youth arrested for killing someone are males.
“Those few girls who kill tend to kill family members,” the introduction reads.
The paper continues with the observation that race and ethnic variables are key things to consider for reasons as to why adolescents kill, but that socioeconomic status fuels minority ethnic groups’ increasing rates of violence.
“The problem of adolescent violence and homicide continues to be one of the most urgent and difficult problems facing clinicians and agencies that provide services to youth. This article describes research based typologies of adolescent murderers,” the paper’s abstract section reads.
“In addition, it is suggested that such youth typically do not respond to a traditional, verbally oriented psychotherapy model. A therapy model that is based upon art and creative therapies that incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy interventions is outlined.”
