Victim’s Family Speaks After Accused CT 'Cannibal Killer' Is Freed

The following story first appeared on WFSB-TV:

By Bryant Reed, WFSB 3 TV

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Angel Gonzalez was allegedly murdered by a cannibal in Bridgeport 12 years ago.

Channel 3 sat down with Gonzalez’s family after his alleged murderer, Tyree Smith, was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Smith was approved for conditional release last week.

He has been living in Waterbury for nine months with nothing but an ankle monitor keeping him in the area.

Gonzalez’s family is only 30 minutes away in Bridgeport. Talitha Frazier, Gonzalez’s sister in law, said that is too close for comfort.

“We got blindsided. We got hit with a big one,” Frazier said.

Smith was supposed to serve 60 years in a psychiatric hospital.

Allegedly, Smith ate pieces of Gonzalez’s brain and eye.

However, he was granted a conditional release by a psychiatric review board last Friday.

Frazier spoke for the Gonzalez family and said they did everything they could to prevent this from happening.

“I called Whiting five years straight. Sometimes twice a month. Three times a month if I got a feeling or saw someone that looked like him, I would call Whiting just to make sure he was still there,” she said.

According to Frazier, a secretary told her to stop calling because Smith, who was in the psychiatric hospital at the time, wasn’t going anywhere.

Years later, she sat in the room as doctors said Smith was a joy to be around. They said on medication he no longer hears the same voices in his head which told him to kill Gonzalez.

“I truly believe the voices in his head that he’s hearing are telling him, tell the doctors you don’t hear us, so you can get out. We feel like he beat the system,” Frazier explained.

>>>You can watch WFSB's video of this story here.

Several lawmakers also felt as though Smith beat the system.

Representative Devin Carney proposed legislation before Smith’s review knowing it was coming up. He hoped to change how review boards make their decision.

“It basically extends the timeline of when someone can request a conditional or temporary release. One of the most important parts of it is it requires the board to make public safety the first component of their decision,” said Rep. Carney, 23rd district.

Frazier added that Gonzalez’s daughter’s health has declined since learning Smith was up for release.

She said they plan to get a restraining order to help them sleep at night.

According to Frazier, if Smith one day offered their family an apology, it would never bring back their loved one or repair the damage he has done.

“It’s not fair. He gets to be in contact with his son, reunite with his son. He now gets to talk to his dad. Well I don’t get to talk to my brother-in-law… so sorry. I don’t want his apology. He’d have to talk to God about that," said Frazier.

She said despite all of the pain Smith has caused her family, none of them wish any harm or ill will to him. They just want justice.

(Editor's Note: This story first appeared on WFSB 3 TV and was reposted on Patch.com with full permission.)