A man accused of last year’s downtown Redding stabbing of four people, one of them fatally, will likely be tried for murder after being deemed sane. Last October, 32-year-old Christopher Witcher was staying at a downtown Redding motel that was being used at the time for transitional housing. Police say he stabbed his four victims during a meeting, killing 57-year-old Donna Kathleen Ceremony and wounding three other people, one of them severely. He then reportedly fled the scene and tried to dispose of the knife. He was found to be incompetent for trial and was treated at a state hospital and returned. He then pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The DA’s office expects that plea to be changed after evaluations by two independent doctors have found he was sane when he allegedly committed the crimes. A plea disposition is set for October 20th. Witcher had been released from prison in Colorado earlier last year after serving time for stabbing someone.
– Steve Gibson