Update (March 11, 2020): John Lee Cowell has been found guilty for the murder of Nia Wilson, who was fatally stabbed on a train platform in Oakland in 2018. The 29-year-old was also found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing Wilson’s sister, Letifah, The New York Times reported.

The family’s lawyer, Jonathan Davis said in a statement on Tuesday that the family was “grateful for the hard work of the D.A.’s office and the jury’s decision.”

“This is part of the healing process,” Davis said.

According to The Mercury News, a crowd gathered outside the court after the ruling on Tuesday, chanting “Nia, Nia.”

The next stage of the trial will begin Wednesday and involved the jury deciding whether Cowell is criminally insane, The Times reported.

“We halfway there. They seen exactly what we saw,” Nia’s mother, Alicia Greyson, said outside the courthouse.

“It’s happy tears. It’s a relief that they seen what we seen,” sister, Tayisha, added.

Cowell is eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole because he was convicted of the special circumstances of lying in wait, The Mercury News reported. The 29-year-old, who had pleaded guilty by reason of insanity due to schizophrenia, reportedly told a clinician he wanted to look crazy in order to receive a more lenient sentence.

Cowell made the comments during a visit with Alameda County behavioral health clinician Ian Vianu while he was incarcerated in Santa Rita Jail, reported The Mercury News. Vianu spoke with Cowell during several visits between December 2018 and July 2019.

Saundra Ferriera, Cowell’s aunt, testified, saying he was paranoid and behaved erratically while staying at her home following a stint in a mental institution. She said her nephew checked people’s mouths for “transmitters” and checked every room in the house because “he thought there were people there. Aliens or people.”

According to KRON4, Ferriera also revealed Cowell was raised by his grandmother because his schizophrenic mother was regularly institutionalized. His grandmother died during a prison stint, and Ferriera said he had trouble accepting her death. Cowell allegedly came up with a story about his grandmother being kidnapped and tortured by aliens.

“I’m the victim,” Cowell told prosecutor Butch Ford. He also confessed he believed he was doing the right thing.

“Your plan was to stop these gangsters?” Ford questioned.

“To rescue my grandmother from the three females,” Cowell responded. “I was being threatened by three Black females working together, threatening to assault my grandmother. They were standing over me. They would not walk away from me. They said they had my grandmother kidnapped.”

Letifah, who survived the attack, wasn’t buying it and believes he was coached by his legal team.

“Just an act. He is showing signs of manipulation and reverse psychology,” she told KRON4. “He’s a drug addict, manipulator and deceitful.”

Jocelyn Gama, Nia’s childhood friend, said she is "tired of white individuals coming into spaces and using mental health as a card to get away with situations like this.”

“I’m tired of hearing on the news that a white man has killed a Black individual and, what they always have to say is, oh it’s mental illness,” Gama told reporters.

Original story (February 24, 2020): The man who killed 18-year-old Nia Wilson told a clinician he wanted to look crazy in order to receive a more lenient sentence.

John Cowell made the comments during a visit with Alameda County behavioral health clinician Ian Vianu while he was incarcerated in Santa Rita Jail, reported The Mercury News. Vianu spoke with Cowell during several visits between December 2018 and July 2019.

Cowell is currently on trial for the murder of the 18-year-old and the attempted murder of her sister Letifah. A third sister witnessed the attack but wasn’t harmed.

He was charged with murder and attempted murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait. Cowell pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity due to schizophrenia. The jury will deliberate twice — once to determine guilt and another to decide if the insanity plea is valid.

On Thursday, Vianu testified Cowell told him, “I want to look crazy.”

He added Cowell was “optimistic about the possibility of a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict.” Psychiatrist Jesus Perez also spoke to Cowell and said he believed Cowell was “malingering” and exaggerating his symptoms, The Mercury News reported.

Vianu’s testimony is a stark contrast to what has been stated by Cowell and one of his family members, according to KRON4. Saundra Ferriera, Cowell’s aunt, testified he was paranoid and behaved erratically while staying at her home following a stint in a mental institution. She claimed her nephew checked people’s mouths for “transmitters” and checked every room in the house because “he thought there were people there. Aliens or people.”

According to KRON4, Ferriera also revealed Cowell was raised by his grandmother because his schizophrenic mother was regularly institutionalized. His grandmother died during a prison stint, and Ferriera said he had trouble accepting her death. Cowell allegedly came up with a story about his grandmother being kidnapped and tortured by aliens.

Last week, Cowell made similar claims during his testimony. He said he believed Wilson and her sisters were “gangsters” and “aliens” who “kidnapped my grandmother.”

“I’m the victim,” Cowell told prosecutor Butch Ford. He also confessed he believed he was doing the right thing.

“Your plan was to stop these gangsters?” Ford questioned.

“To rescue my grandmother from the three females,” Cowell responded. “I was being threatened by three black females working together, threatening to assault my grandmother. They were standing over me. They would not walk away from me. They said they had my grandmother kidnapped.”

Letifah, who survived the attack, wasn’t buying it and believes he was coached by his legal team.

“Just an act. He is showing signs of manipulation and reverse psychology,” she told KRON4. “He’s a drug addict, manipulator and deceitful.”

Jocelyn Gama, Nia’s childhood friend, believes Cowell was a glaring example of white privilege.

“I’m tired of always white individuals coming into spaces and using mental health as a card to get away with situations like this,” she told reporters. “I’m tired of hearing on the news that a white man has killed a Black individual and, what they always have to say is, oh it’s mental illness.”

John-Cowell

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