Vancouver woman who stabbed boyfriend with a 4-foot sword not guilty by reason of insanity

A judge found a Vancouver woman who stabbed her boyfriend with a 4-foot-long sword not guilty by reason of insanity Monday at her attempted murder trial.

Clark County Superior Court Judge Derek Vanderwood found Tednisha Louise Lee Dickson’s mental health conditions impacted her ability to interact and perceive threats from others. He ordered she be committed to Western State Hospital for treatment.

Court records indicate a state forensic psychologist who evaluated Lee Dickson, 31, shortly after the incident found she was not competent to stand trial. The psychologist said she exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia and other mental health disorders. She underwent a restoration period at Western State Hospital and was later found competent to stand trial.

The victim, James Turley, then 53, told investigators Lee Dickson had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Lee Dickson told investigators that Turley was a robot, and she stabbed him to kill him, the affidavit states.

According to a defense filing, the couple had been together for five years, and Lee Dickson had suffered from mental health problems the entire time. Turley had reportedly tried to take Lee Dickson to hospitals for treatment numerous times.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 9:30 a.m. March 1, 2022, to a report of an assault with a weapon at the Quality Inn & Suites, 7001 N.E. Highway 99. Turley told a 911 dispatcher that Lee Dickson stabbed him in the side with a broad sword that belongs to Turley, according to the sheriff’s office.

He was treated by medics and taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he suffered some tissue damage near his ribs, the affidavit says.

Deputies said the couple lived together at the motel and were arguing when Lee Dickson stabbed Turley.