Kenneth Beach’s family is speaking out about the murder of his friend Josue Chirino, stating that the tragedy could have been avoided with proper mental health intervention. According to his family, Beach had been struggling with mental health challenges and despite their efforts to seek assistance, the system fell short.

Beach’s criminal history includes being found not guilty by reason of insanity for an attempted murder charge in 2004. He underwent a 90-day treatment program and was in a mandated outpatient treatment program, but it ended in 2011. Dr. Caruso argues that Beach should have received more extended treatment.

He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression, and had been in a manic state for three months leading up to the tragic incident. Despite efforts to seek help, such as a visit to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and an attempt to secure help at Centerstone, Beach was only scheduled for a follow-up appointment because he didn’t assert that he was a danger to himself.

On that same night, Beach shot and killed his friend Josue Chirino. His family believes this could have been prevented if he had been admitted for immediate care. Dr. Caruso, an expert in mental health, emphasized the need for continued outpatient treatment and extended resources for mental health. It is likely that Beach will go through a mental health evaluation before he heads to court on the murder charge.