A Laconia man was arraigned today in District Court on 2nd degree murder charges stemming from an incident over the weekend. 19-year old Kasey Riley is accused of strangling Zachary March inside apartments run by Genesis Behavioral Health. Genesis provides support to residents, but not 24-hour monitoring at the facility.
In a statement issued through the National Alliance on Mental Illness in New Hampshire, Riley’s sister says her brother sought help for a mental crisis last week. But with the state’s psychiatric hospital at capacity, he would spend two days waiting for care inside of Lakes Region General Hospital’s ER. She says he was transferred to the state facility in Concord on Thursday, only to be released the following day.
New Hampshire Hospital cannot confirm or deny if Riley was a patient. It does say that all new patients are screened, with those likely to pose a danger to themselves or others involuntary admitted for treatment.
The Department of Health and Human Services says it will review the incident, and the Attorney General’s office continues to investigate.
Debra Riley says her brother has struggled with mental illness his entire life. She offered condolences to the family of Zachary March, and asked the state to increase funding and staff for mental health groups.
