A Marion County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday paused the criminal case of the man accused of stabbing a dozen people at Salem’s Union Gospel Mission while a mental health expert evaluates whether he is mentally fit to face the charges against him.

Judge Pro Tem Tiffany Underwood suspended criminal proceedings against Tony L. Williams, 42, of Bend, at the request of his attorney.

“In my interactions with Mr. Williams, I became concerned with his ability to aid and assist in his defense,” attorney Joseph Sullivan said in a court filing Sunday.

People unable to assist their lawyers in their defense against criminal charges are supposed to receive mental health care so that they can participate in the justice system and understand their legal rights and responsibilities. Criminal defendants are generally committed to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem for such care.

Williams has previously been committed to the hospital at least twice, a Salem Reporter review of court records found. He has repeatedly been deemed unfit to stand trial due to his mental illness.

Williams appeared agitated and delusional during his first court appearance in the stabbing case on June 2. He rambled profanely to the judge and complained about conditions in the jail, claiming that staff were pumping gas into his cell.

Williams also vehemently asserted in court that he acted in self-defense, contradicting witness and police statements.

Sullivan said in his filing that he has “begun the process” of retaining a forensic evaluation firm in Eugene to assess whether Williams’ is mentally fit to understand court proceedings, cooperate with his attorney and participate in his defense.

The judge granted Sullivan’s request and ordered that Williams remain in the Marion County Jail without bail.

Under Oregon law, if neither the Marion County District Attorney’s Office nor Williams’ attorney contests the evaluator’s finding, the judge can determine whether he is fit to proceed based on the evaluation report. If the finding is contested, the judge will schedule a hearing to decide the issue.

If a judge finds Williams is unfit to proceed, they would commit him to the state hospital. 

A federal judge in 2022 set deadlines for how long patients found unable to assist in their defense can stay at the hospital. Based on Williams’ charges, he could remain there for up to one year. 

If his release date is approaching and he still requires hospital-level care, prosecutors can seek a hearing to request that his hospital stay be extended by 180 days.

An examination of court records by Salem Reporter showed that Oregon has struggled to deal with Williams for 20 years, both in its criminal justice and mental health systems. 

Williams has a history of cycling in and out of jail and treatment facilities. Records show seven instances since 2004 where police found Williams armed with a knife. He at least twice threatened people with knives and once stabbed a person.

A day before the mass stabbing at the Union Gospel Mission, Williams was riding a bus operated by Pacific Crest headed from Portland to Bend when the bus stopped at the Salem Amtrak station on Saturday afternoon, May 31. 

During a break, he tried to force the bus doors open and “shouted profanities and threats,” prompting Salem police to trespass him from the Amtrak property, according to the bus company’s president, Anthony Ferro.

Williams spent that night at UGM, according to Craig Smith, the shelter’s executive director.

The next night, Sunday, June 1, he decided he wouldn’t be staying again. 

As he was receiving his bag at the front desk, he pulled a knife and stabbed 12 people, including an employee working the front desk, according to witness interviews and official statements.

Eleven victims were taken to the hospital.

Two victims remained hospitalized in fair condition as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Salem Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Wood. One is a mission employee and one was a shelter guest.

The 43-year-old employee, who suffered a stab wound to the neck which lacerated a major artery, was “is doing fantastic,” Smith said in a video posted to Facebook Tuesday afternoon.

“He passed some major milestones yesterday, and he’s making progres and is moving towards getting out of the hospital,” Smith said.

He said the 31-year-old shelter resident, who was stabbed in the abdomen, is “getting better, but he has still some really serious injuries that he has to recover from.”

As a result of the stabbings, UGM is now taking bags in through a security window and isn’t allowing anyone to bring backpacks into the shelter, according to Smith.

He said in the video that they have asked the Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to review the shelter’s security protocols.

“Thanks so much for praying for us,” he said. “Please keep praying – pray for our staff, pray for our ministry, pray for our guests, and may the Lord be glorified in all of this.”

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Bend man accused of stabbing 12 during check-in at Salem Union Gospel Mission

UGM closed Monday morning following stabbing of employee, 10 shelter guests

11 stabbed at Union Gospel Mission downtown, suspect arrested

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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