Man Who Killed Wife, Cut Out Unborn Son In '78 Released From State Hospital

NORRISTOWN, PA — A man who has been locked away at the Norristown State Psychiatric Hospital since being found not guilty by reason of insanity back in 1980 in the brutal slaying of his then-wife and unborn child has finally been released from state custody, according to media reports.

Richard Greist, now 71 years old, was ordered discharged from the state hospital following a hearing in Chester County Common Pleas Court on Monday, the Daily Local reported.

The decision by Judge Edward Griffith came after lawyers on both sides weighed in on Greist potentially leaving psychiatric care, which he had been undergoing since the early 1980s after being found not guilty due to what was determined to be an extreme psychotic break.

Greist brutally killed his former wife, Janice Greist, cut their unborn child from the woman's womb, stabbed his daughter in the eye and attacked his grandmother back in 1978 in East Coventry, Chester County, according to media local reports.

The crimes were hailed as some of the most heinous and infamous in Chester County history.

The site of the killings, East Coventry Township, sits in Chester County just over the Montgomery County line from communities such as Pottstown and Limerick.

On Monday, attorneys sparred over Greist's potential release during a court proceeding in Chester County, according to the Daily Local report.

Greist, who subsequently won release, reportedly left Norristown State Hospital on Tuesday morning and went to live with his wife in Norristown.

Prosecutors have reportedly stated that they are considering appealing the judge's decision.

Since Greist was found not criminally liable for the deaths due to his mental state, he can never again be retried for the deaths and attacks back in 1978.

Michael van der Veen, a Philadelphia lawyer hired by Greist earlier this year, expressed pleasure in the judge's decision to order Greist's release, telling local media that it is important for the mental health community that people who are rehabilitated can safely reenter society after they receive treatment.

The lawyer was also quoted in the Daily Local as saying that Greist shouldn't have been in state custody for 44 years, since his psychiatric condition has been in remission for decades and he is in no way a danger to society any longer.

Chester County prosecutors have publicly stated they will likely appeal the judge's decision to release Greist, since the man committed one of the most brutal and heinous killings in Chester County history.

Greist's crimes were infamous in nature. Then a 27-year-old aide at the former Pennhurst State Psychiatric Hospital, Greist used a screwdriver to stab his former wife to death and then cut her body open to kill and mutilate their unborn son.

He then attacked his daughter and grandmother.

The not guilty by reason of insanity verdict back in the summer of 1980 was extremely controversial. It came after a defense expert had testified that Greist was suffering from extreme psychosis.

Images of Greist at the time of the killings were captured on camera by a local newspaper photographer who went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in spot news photography for his work.

Those images can be seen in the Facebook post below.