Friends and family grieving the death of 26-year-old Chad O'Melia are speaking out after the woman responsible for his death was sentenced to probation and community service hours.
"When we heard the verdict, we felt the system had completely failed my son Chad and our family, and the judge didn't do his job," Chad's father Sean O’Melia said on "America's Newsroom" on Friday.
"He didn't do what he's responsible to do. He went against the recommendations of the district attorney. He went against the recommendations of the probation officer, and the community found her guilty. So he obviously didn't respect the community's decision either."
FRIENDS OF VICTIM INFURIATED BY CALIFORNIA JUDGE'S DECISION TO GIVE PROBATION FOR FATAL STABBING
The Ventura County judge presiding over the case ruled 33-year-old audiologist Bryn Spejcher had fallen into a marijuana-fueled psychosis and had no control over her actions when she stabbed 26-year-old Chad O'Melia 108 times.
Sean O'Melia shared more about his son with host Dana Perino, noting he was a "social person" who "liked to help people."
"Anybody that knew him, knew him as a very social person. A person that would engage with anybody. It didn't matter who you were or what you were about," his father said. "He was truly interested in you, and he liked to help people. He really did. A couple of his fraternity brothers came up to me at the funeral service and said that he was really instrumental in them actually making it through school and finishing their degrees."
Spejcher was smoking marijuana with Chad at his Thousand Oaks apartment before she attacked him.
"Both took several hits from a bong loaded with marijuana," the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "Spejcher had an adverse reaction to the marijuana and suffered from what experts call ‘cannabis-induced psychotic disorder.’"
The state's mental health expert reportedly determined that as a result she was "unconscious" while she stabbed Chad dozens of times. She also stabbed her dog and turned the knife on herself when police arrived.
Jurors found Spejcher guilty of involuntary manslaughter in December, but the court ultimately sentenced her to two years on probation and 100 hours of community service for the 2018 crime.
When asked whether there would be an appeal process over Spejcher's punishment, Sean said he had not yet discussed those options with the district attorney and was focused on spending time with his other son.
"I haven't discussed that yet with the district attorney. I think we are going to meet sometime in the future here, and I will ask him those questions," he said.
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"For now, I'm just trying to spend a little time, with my son, Shane. He's been through hell this past five and a half years, as I have. We also lost Chad's mother, during this time. And, it's been rough."
Sean also added "if I had the opportunity to say something to my son, I would tell him that I love him."
"I'm proud of him, and that the only thing that separates me from him now is time. And I will see him again on the other side."
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
