Victims of murder-suicide remembered as representatives send bill to state senate
OLYMPIA – Sheena Henderson was known as a caring and loving person and her husband, Chris, for his great sense of humor and love for his family. Those are the memories carried by Sheena’s father, Gary Kennison, and the rest of their family after the tragic death of Sheena at the hands of her husband. For the last several months, Gary and other friends and family of the Henderson’s contacted state lawmakers to fix part of the broken mental health care system in Washington state. Today, the House of Representatives passed HB 1448, Sheena and Chris Henderson’s Law, by a vote of 93 to 5.
State Representative Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, prime sponsored HB 1448 in order to address how police interact with suicidal individuals who do not meet the criteria for involuntary detainment.
“This is a sober moment to rise today. Eight months ago yesterday we had a tragedy occur”, said Rep. Riccelli from the floor of the House. “Family and friends of Sheena and Chris Henderson wanted something positive to come out of this tragedy. They knew our mental health system is broke and they wanted to do something.”
“Mental health incidents should be treated by mental health professionals. Mental health is something we can’t take for granted. It’s like cancer, a mental health crisis can affect anyone at anytime,” said Riccelli.
For months, Chris Henderson suffered from a series of mental health crises. His wife, friends, and family all tried to get him the help he needed but weren’t able to do so. Chris had been seen by police multiple times, even having his firearm confiscated, but because he did not meet the criteria used by police to determine if someone can be involuntarily detained, he was let go. Then, in July 2014, Chris took his gun and went to his wife’s work, shot her multiple times, and then turned the gun on himself.
HB 1448 creates a new tool for law enforcement–the ability to indicate that someone may be at risk for mental health crisis, which would refer them directly to a mental health professional. Mental health professionals who received this report would then have 24 hours to contact the individual and family members to assess the risk and make a recommendation to involuntarily commit.
“This bill provides a tool for officers responding to a mental health crisis. It will also ensure a timely response by a qualified mental health professional in the hope of providing resources to help these individuals and families in our community,” said Gary Kennison, father of Sheena Henderson.
The bill now goes to the state senate for approval.