CHENEY, WA-- The mother of criminally insane killer Phillip Paul says her son has asked for and been granted a transfer to Western State Hospital.
Back in September, Paul led authorities on a three-day manhunt after he escaped from a field trip to the Spokane County Fair.Now Paul's mother says this is what her son wanted.
Arlene Paul said her son simply thought this would be better. It's a complete reversal from what Phillip Paul and his attorney told a Yakima County judge in January.
The last time KREM 2 News covered Paul, he was losing his right to live off of Eastern State Hospital's grounds. That is where he has lived off and on since 1987 when he murdered a woman in Sunnyside, Washington.
At that January hearing, an attorney for DSHS made a last minute request to move Paul to Western State Hospital. Paul's attorney opposed this, saying that was a politically motivated move that would only hurt his client. But last Wednesday, Paul made his own call.
Paul's mother Arlene told KREM 2 News that her son left Eastern State Hospital because he thought Western State Hospital would be better. He believes there is more money, activities and resources, as well as better care. She says he can go outside anytime at Western State Hospital and he's closer to family.
This comes on the heels of two laws recently passed in the Washington legislature, limiting travel for criminally insane patients and requiring hospital staff to tell law enforcement if they escape. Because of patient privacy laws, DSHS could not elaborate on Paul's move, or even confirm that it took place.
