This case out of Maryland is so tragic. The perpetrator took Zoloft
and now has no memory of the incident. Even his mother said he
“hallucinated” on the drug. The young couple were deeply in love and
had a great relationship. This story, too, combines elements of “road
rage” with the attempted murder.

This is just one of many stories we continue to review, now almost
daily, on how these drugs can cause psychotic breaks in some
individuals and no memory of the violence later. Notice also, how sleep
deprivation, a known side-effect of these drugs, contributed to this
incident.

Thanks to one of our ICFDA directors for passing this along.

As a reminder to interested subscribers, if you see articles like
these, please bring them to our attention by forwarding them to
<mmiller1@…>.

———–
Sep. 22, 1999, The Capital

Police Say Man Tried to Kill Wife

An Annapolis man with no history of prior violence was charged
yesterday with trying to kill the wife he adored in a car crash near
the State House earlier this month.

In a mysterious case that still puzzles city police, Douglas Lund, 36,
of 1 Colonial Ave., was ordered held without bond on a charge of
attempted second-degree murder.

He awaits a competency evaluation today in the county detention center,
where he’s being held. Another bail review hearing will follow within
the next few days, a spokesman for the State’s Attorney’s Office said.

Police have found no motive for Mr. Lund’s actions on Sept. 7, when he
crashed his car on Bladen Street and allegedly beat his wife, Amy Lund,
32, an assistant state’s attorney for Dorchester County.

“They were doing great,” said city police Detective Jim Bryant, who
investigated the case with the State’s Attorney’s Office. “He never
abused her in any way. This was one of those off-the-wall things.”

But Mr. Lund’s mother, Jo Ann Lund, blames the drug Zoloft, which her
son was taking for depression.

“He took the drug and started hallucinating,” she said.

Mr. Lund, a full-time student at Bowie State University, had been
suffering sleeplessness for several weeks and had asked his wife to go
for a drive.

About 3 a.m., they were headed home when Mrs. Lund saw her husband run
a red light and switch lanes on Rowe Boulevard, heading toward the
State House, police said.

Driving toward construction site barriers on Bladen Street, he
allegedly unfastened his wife’s seat belt before intentionally crashing
his 1990 Honda Accord into a metal fence, running over several “Road
Closed” signs without hitting the brakes, police said.

Mr. Lund forced his wife from the car, grabbed her neck and hair and
beat her head against the pavement several times, police said.

Grunting, but never speaking, he dragged her about 30 feet from the
scene, Detective Bryant said. Then he slung her body over his shoulder
and carried her across the grassy median between Bladen Street and Rowe
Boulevard.

Crossing Rowe Boulevard, he dumped her on the grass behind low-hanging
tree branches and flagged down a passing vehicle.

It took six hours of surgery to repair her shattered vertebrae,
Detective Bryant said. She also suffered a broken collarbone and
finger, abrasions and a black eye.

She was released Sept. 15 from the Shock-Trauma Center at University
Hospital in Baltimore and is no longer staying in the area, police
said.

According to Mr. Lund’s mother, the Lunds had a loving relationship,
still holding hands after 11 years of dating and marriage.

The message on their anniversary cards this summer was identical:
“Thank you for the best six years of my life.”

With no children, the Lunds, who lived in Annapolis sporadically for
eight years, were apparently on a career track. Mr. Lund had just begun
student teaching in his final semester of college.

According to his mother, he never suffered mental problems, other than
worrying too much. His family calls him “Mr. Applesauce” for his
healthy lifestyle and eating habits, she said.

But Mr. Lund is dyslexic and has Attention Deficit Disorder, and in the
past few months his worries and stress over student teaching became
overwhelming, she said.

“He just panicked about going to the board, and the children being able
to spell better than he did,” Mrs. Lund said.

One morning he visited his mother in tears, and gave her his guns for
fear that he might kill himself.

After three weeks without sleeping and eating, Mr. Lund went to a
doctor who prescribed Zoloft — a drug with warnings of fatal reactions
and mental status changes. He was told to take it on a weekly basis.

Mrs. Lund believes her son was overcome by hallucinations on the
morning of the attack.

Mr. Lund was committed to Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore
County following the offense after he told police he felt like hurting
himself, Detective Bryant said.

He told Detective Bryant he was “dazed” and has no memory of the
incident.

“All he remembers is driving down the road and carrying his wife to the
hospital,” Detective Bryant said. “I thought it was strange that he was
headed the wrong way.”

Mr. Lund had no history of violence, and his wife’s main concern was
that the arrest would tarnish his clean record, Detective Bryant said.

Annapolis Attorney Gill Cochran, who is tentatively representing Mr.
Lund, said he plans to seek detention for his client at a medical
facility such as Sheppard Pratt. He will eventually enter a plea of
“not criminally responsible,” he said.

“Psychological difficulties are clearly involved in this case,” he
said.
Copyright © 1999 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.