Trial over Deidre Silas murder turns focus on alleged murderer’s mental health

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — The trial continues for a man accused of murdering a DCFS employee in 2022 .

The defense and prosecution took turns grilling the same expert on Thursday.

Dr. Terry Killian sat on the stand for hours as he gave insight on the interview he conducted with Benjamin Reed in the aftermath of Deidre Silas’s death. Killian is a psychiatrist that often works with Sangamon County to determine if a person is fit to stand trial.

Silas, a DCFS employee, went to Reed’s home in Thayer in January of 2022 to check on the wellbeing of children in the home. Prosecutors say Reed was woken up when Silas arrived. He then allegedly attacked Silas, stabbing her over 40 times and then bludgeoning her with a sledgehammer.

“He said he was angry when he woke up and then we found out from someone in the house. He went into what he called a blackout or what I would call a dissociative episode,” Killian said.

Reed and his now ex-wife and their kids fled the home and went to Decatur, where Reed’s mother, Jennifer Askins lives. Reed’s mother testified in the trial on Monday. She said Reed told her that he killed a woman who his ex-wife later clarified was a DCFS worker.

Askins took the children while Reed and his ex-wife went to St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur. Askins called the police and notified them of Reed’s whereabouts. He was quickly arrested at the hospital.

While in holding, Reed sat down with Killian for the interview. That interview was meant to determine if Reed would be fit to stand trial. Over two and a half year’s later, that trial is happening.

Reed is diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, which means he shows signs of both Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorders. He was diagnosed at a young age. During the interview, Killian said Reed told him he had not been on his prescribed medication for years, and he hadn’t been getting mental health treatment for a long time either. Reed blamed that lack of care on access, saying neither he or his ex-wife were able to get him to treatment because he didn’t have a car.

While on the stand, Killian said that was not a good excuse. Killian did say that he thinks Reed’s diagnosis is legitimate, and that he does suffer from severe mental health issues, including hearing multiple voices and often disassociating during traumatic events.

Reed plead insanity at the onset of this legal battle. His defense attorney is doing little in the way of arguing for his innocence. The evidence includes direct witness accounts from Reed’s mother, ex-wife and sister-in-law, all saying Reed did it. During his interview with Killian and his conversation with his mother on the day of, Killian even acknowledges that he figured he was the one who killed Silas. Although since he says he blacked out he said he doesn’t have exact recollection of the events.

But his insanity plea also seems to be a long shot, as the expert psychiatrist the defense put on the stand today said he determined Reed was sane in the legal definition of the word, meaning he could stand trial.

There are still ways that his mental health could affect the outcome beyond pleading insantiy. On multiple occasions on Wednesday, the defense threw out the bench mark of being “guilty but mentally ill.” This is the phrase Killian used to describe Reed in a report he filed after speaking with Reed twice.

If the judge opts to not grant the insanity plea, but still acknowledges the impact of Reed’s mental illnesses on the crime in question, it could potentially have an impact on whatever sentence Reed could get at the end of the trial. This is a bench trial, so there is no jury. The judge will give the final say once both sides rest their case.

The prosecutor in this case is former Sangamon County Assistant State’s Attorney and current Appellate Prosecutor Derek Dion. He initially took the case when he was with the county, and retained it despite moving to a new office. Dion spent hours trying to poke holes in the credibility of Killian’s testimony and the mental health arguments coming from the defense.

That effort will continue when they return to the courtroom Thursday morning. The prosecution plans to have more witnesses testify before closing arguments are made.

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