MONROE — The area man accused of first-degree attempted homicide in the stabbing of his mother last Spring won’t go to state prison after all.

Ryan Gregory Lewis, 29 at the time of the crime, was set for sentencing and a plea agreement last Friday before Circuit Judge Thomas Vale. But the agreement the defendant accepted was for a guilty plea by reason of insanity, and the judge ordered him to spend at least the next 20 years at a locked mental health facility in the state. 

“The court accepts the reports from the doctors as a part of the decision making,” court records said. “It is the courts’ intent to follow the recommendations of both parties.”

The original incident began when police were called to the 900 block of 24th Street just after 5:30 a.m. on April 14 for a report of a man attacking his 63-year-old mother with a knife. According to published reports about the criminal case against him, Lewis approached his mother in the kitchen before the alleged violence and said “I love you mom, I am sorry. I love you but I got to do this.”

When a second son — a 32-year-old man, according to police — intervened in the alleged attack, the brother with a knife fled in a vehicle. Just over a half hour after the incident, police tracked down and arrested Lewis. He was eventually charged with first-degree attempted homicide and physical abuse of an elder.

The mother and second son were both injured in the attack but recovered, according to Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelly. Lewis has appeared in court represented by his attorneys, Jane Krueger Smith and Adam Thomas Witt, according to court records. 

Despite being committed for 20 years, Lewis may petition the court to reevaluate his situation and treatment progress after 6 months. The defendant has 197 days of credit toward his term. If he had pleaded guilty to the original attempted murder charge, it could have resulted in a potential 60-year sentence in state prison.