Bryn Spejcher: Father of victim stabbed 108 times lashes out as lover seeks to appeal despite avoiding prison

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA: Bryn Spejcher, who stabbed her boyfriend, Chad O’Melia, 108 times in an apparently marijuana-induced psychosis, is seeking to overturn her conviction for the May 2018 murder despite managing to avoid prison time. 

Her move elicited sharp criticism from the victim’s father, Sean O'Melia, who believes justice has not been served. 

Spejcher's trial in December 2023 resulted in a conviction of involuntary manslaughter, yet she was sentenced to only two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Amid her push for absolution, Sean voiced his dismay to PEOPLE Magazine, stating, "She killed somebody and she is serving no prison time for that — and even that’s not good enough for her."

Insights into Bryn Spejcher's stabbing case

On the fateful night of May 27, 2018, Chad apparently introduced Spejcher to a hyper-potent strain of marijuana, resulting in an unfavorable reaction that pushed her into a lethal rage.

On May 28, 2018, when police entered the apartment, they found Chad "in a pool of blood and Spejcher screaming hysterically with a knife still in her hands," according to prosecutors, who claimed that before law enforcement could intervene and remove the "long-serrated bread knife" from her hand, she repeatedly "plunged the knife into her own neck."

Law enforcement used "a taser and several baton blows" to subdue Spejcher, as evidenced by the mugshot revealing stab marks intersecting her neck.

Sean feels the judge favored the young defendant. He noted, "He never saw Bryn Spejcher for who or what she is. Repeatedly, he made excuses for that woman."

Before the trial, prosecutors downgraded Spejcher's murder charge to non-voluntary manslaughter based on the findings of both sides' medical experts.

The victim's father remarked, "The judge took all that and just threw it away," highlighting the jury's four-hour deliberations leading to a guilty verdict and the Ventura County District Attorney's request for the maximum 5-year penalty.

Prosecutor condemned the judge's ruling in Bryn Spejcher's stabbing case

Audry Nafziger, the prosecutor in the case, described the judge's ruling as "a very dangerous precedent" and labeled it "a slap in the face to the victim’s family," emphasizing that it suggested "it’s okay to smoke marijuana and butcher someone with three knives. But it’s not okay," as reported by NBC News. 

She told Rolling Stone, "As the prosecutor on this case and someone who has spent 29 years fighting for justice, the sentence makes a mockery of the criminal legal system … Of all the involuntary manslaughter cases I have ever heard of, this is the most heinous and violent." 

Chad O'Melia's father says Bryn Spejcher should have been tried for murder

While talking to PEOPLE Magazine, Sean further expressed, "I think she’d have been tried for murder. Because she wouldn’t have just been seen as a harmless White woman, she’d be seen for what she truly is."

Sean accuses the judiciary of favoritism towards Spejcher, pointing out the devastation caused by her actions, including the subsequent suicide of Chad's mother, Michelle Larribee, who could not bear the loss of her son. 

Now, with Spejcher's appeal looming, Sean fears for the safety of others, including that of his son's killer. He expresses concern that another "psychotic episode" could occur, endangering more lives. 

"Once you turn that switch on, it can turn on a lot easier next time. The last time she did this, she almost killed herself. So yeah, I’m actually afraid for her own person," said the grief-stricken father.