Reid Alexander Schepis Attacks Roommate, Case Compared to Amanda Knox
Reid Alexander Schepis, an American student in Paris, has been arrested after stabbing his roommate 25 times. Many are comparing his case to that of another American student, Amanda Knox, whose murder conviction was recently overturned.
Schepis was living with New-Jersey local Fabio Malpeso while in Rome. Malpeso is an American student at John Cabot University and lived with Schepis, who is also an American-born student. During a night of intense partying on Halloween, Schepis ingested alcohol and ecstasy.
He has maintained that he has no recollection of any incident and does not remember stabbing Malpeso 25 times. It was Malpeso's sister who heard her brother's screams during the attack; he was fully conscious during the entire assault. He was rushed to the hospital and into surgery.
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While no motive for the attack is known, at least one expert believes it was brought on by the combination of drugs and alcohol.
"It certainly sounds like some sort of drug-induced psychosis or hallucination," Brad Garrett, a consultant and former FBI agent, told ABC News.
Schepis is currently being held in an Italian jail while Malpeso recovers at a hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery after the incident. Meanwhile, Italian courts have yet to charge Schepis with a crime, though his attorney told the press he became "profoundly upset" and cried when questioned by police.
Many can't help but draw parallels between this case and that of American citizen Amanda Knox, who was charged with killing her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, while the two studied in Rome. Knox always maintained her innocence and in 2011 was acquitted of all charges after serving four years in prison.
Kercher's death still remains somewhat of a mystery, though Rudy Hermann Guede has been serving a 16-year sentence for his part in the crime.
