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Hribal seeks to change plea in Franklin Regional stabbings to guilty but mentally ill

Tribune-Review (Greensburg, PA) - 7/29/2016

July 29--Alex Hribal, the Murrysville man charged with attempting to kill 20 Franklin Regional High School classmates and a security guard, is seeking to change his plea to guilty but mentally ill.

Defense attorney Pat Thomassey filed a document Friday in Westmoreland County court asking for a hearing to have Hribal change his not-guilty plea. Judge Christopher Feliciani will be required at that hearing to determine if Hribal's mental status supports changing the plea.

Hribal, 18, has been awaiting trial for more than two years for the knife attack in the high school hallway that left several students severely injured. His defense attorney tried unsuccessfully to have the case transferred to juvenile court.

"Clearly, he was mentally ill. He was in a fantasy world," Thomassey said.

According to testimony from a previous hearing to determine if Hribal's case should be transferred to juvenile court, the defense contended the then 16-year-old was diagnosed as depressed and schizophrenic at the time of the April 9, 2014, knife attack.

District Attorney John Peck said Friday that he has not decided whether he will challenge Hribal's request for a new plea.

"He has to prove he is mentally ill," Peck said. "He has not submitted anything specific yet. I haven't seen any mental health reports in over a year."

Hribal's case was to go trial next week but on Wednesday it was pushed back to October.

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