San Francisco

San Francisco Man Says Demons Led Him to Cut His Grandmother's Head Off

“Defendant stated that he knew it was wrong but that Jesus can override laws and that if Jesus told him to harm others in this fashion he would do it”

A 30-year-old man now accused of decapitating his 82-year-old grandmother was treated at San Francisco General Hospital the day before the attack.

A court filing says he was seeking treatment after banging his head against the wall to rid himself of demons.

On Tuesday, police found the decapitated victim, Chii-Chyu Horng, and arrested Andrew Luke inside the home they shared at 801 Howard Street.

On Friday, Luke was not present in court at a scheduled arraignment. Judge Teresa Caffese ordered him held without bail pending another scheduled appearance on Tuesday.

Luke was being held Friday at the hospital jail psychiatric ward - listed as a danger to himself and others, according to prosecutor Michael Swart.

In a detailed statement of facts prosecutors filed Friday, Luke called 911 Tuesday to recount how he had killed his grandmother at the home they shared at 801 Howard St.

When they arrived, they broke down the door and found him inside, bloodied and with facial bruises. “The police then searched the home and made the gruesome discovery that (the) defendant had in fact beaten and stabbed his grandmother and then severed her head from her body.”

Luke told police that Jesus was testing him, and ordered him to carry out the attack.

“Defendant stated that he knew it was wrong but that Jesus can override laws and that if Jesus told him to harm others in this fashion he would do it.” He also admitted he posed a danger to others, according to the statement.

He told police that his grandmother came to the bathroom where he was and, believing she was possessed by a demon, he heeded an order from Jesus to “get rid of it.” He used two knives to attack her, and then beat her with a rolling pin before decapitating her.

Luke separately recounted having gone to San Francisco General the day before the killing to be treated for head injuries he said he suffered from hitting his head.

Luke “reported that God had been speaking to him and that he was possessed by a demon as such, he banged his head against a wall trying to get the demon out of him. He suffered injuries to his head and was taken” to the hospital, the statement, where he received staples in the back of his head. He was then released.

It is not clear whether hospital officials were aware of his mental state, or that he suffering what prosecutors called “delusions” at the time he was treated.

“We’re still investigating what happened,” hospital spokesperson Brent Andrew said late Friday, adding that the hospital typically relies on a screening process at its emergency room to evaluate the mental state of patients seeking treatment.

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