OKLAHOMA CITY – A man accused of killing his father has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the crime.
In August of 2015, prosecutors say Christian Costello attacked his father, former Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, with a knife and repeatedly stabbed him at an Oklahoma City restaurant.
Costello’s family says he suffers from a mental illness, and had spent time in a mental health facility.
During a pre-trial hearing in May of 2016, Costello told the court that he “wanted to plead guilty and go to Minnesota to meet with a pediatrician that once helped him.”
Costello also allegedly claimed that the doctor made him a “32nd degree mason and would give him a hand anytime he needed it.”
After listening to the plea, the judge ordered the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health to examine Costello to see if he was competent enough to enter a guilty plea.
In a report filed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, a psychiatrist wrote that Costello has a severe mental disease, Schizoaffective disorder. The psychiatrist who examined Costello said the defendant suffers from paranoid delusions and is mentally incompetent to stand trial for first-degree murder.
The report said that while Costello understands the charges filed against him, he is not able to consult with his attorney and rationally assist in the preparation of his defense.
During another hearing, Costello said he did not apologize for killing his father, saying that his father would have killed him. Costello then went on to say that he was a slave and that he sold his soul to Hillary Clinton.
After the hearing, his family issued a statement saying, “Our family has faced overwhelming loss. As we continue to work on our own healing, we pray for Christian through this difficult time. In spite of this horrible tragedy, we understand that our loved one, like thousands of Oklahomans, suffers with a mental illness.”
On Wednesday, it was announced that a plea deal had been reached in the case.
According to online court records, Costello went before a judge on Wednesday and entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
He will now be in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health for evaluation. Another hearing in the case is set for May 31.
