Woodstock man charged in 2017 residential arson found not guilty by reason of insanity

A mentally ill Woodstock man who said voices told him to set fire to his parents’ home in 2017 was found not guilty by reason of insanity Friday.

McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt entered an order to send 31-year-old Carl K. Rice to the Illinois Department of Human Services in Elgin. Experts there will evaluate Rice to determine whether he requires inpatient treatment. Attorneys said they expect to have an update on the department’s recommendations by his next court date Sept. 25.

“This defendant needs an evaluation, and in the court’s mind, he needs further treatment,” Wilbrandt said.

While issuing his decision Friday, Wilbrandt noted that a period of psychosis kept Rice from understanding the criminal nature of his actions as he poured gasoline onto the carpet of his Raycraft Road home and lit a match.

“When he left his house and walked out, he took his cat outside,” Wilbrandt said.

Rice then walked to a neighbor’s house and told them what he’d done. He would go on to tell police that voices or “shadow people” told him what to do, Wilbrandt said. The fire caused extensive damage, but the Rice family eventually rebuilt their home on the original foundation.

It wasn't easy for Rice's parents, Pam and Brad Rice, to relive the
Sept. 22, 2017, house fire as the facts were read aloud in court Friday, they said. The judge's ruling, however, was one that Carl Rice's family spent years hoping for. After court Friday, Brad Rice said the mental health treatment his son will receive is the "best outcome" they could dream of.

The ruling also satisfied McHenry County Assistant Public Defender Kim Messer, who noted she was happy with the decision.

If the Illinois Department of Human Services determines Rice would benefit from inpatient treatment, his stay at the Elgin facility can’t exceed 15 years, the maximum sentence possible for residential arson.

It’s possible that Rice also would receive credit for the three years he’ll already have served at the McHenry County Jail by Sept. 25. That means the most time he could spend at the Elgin facility would be about 12 years, his attorney said.

At a brief trial by judge earlier this month, Messer and McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Ann Scholl submitted their evidence for the judge to review on his own. That evidence included police and fire reports, which disclosed the same information witnesses would have testified to had the case gone before a jury.

Also included was a recent psychological evaluation performed by Dr. Robert Meyer of the Mathers Clinic in Crystal Lake. The psychologist came to the conclusion that Carl Rice could be found not guilty by reason of insanity, Messer said.

“Dr. Meyer had the benefit of reviewing years’ worth of medical history,” Messer said in court Friday.

Carl Rice’s battle with mental illness is well-documented. About three weeks before the fire, he was hospitalized for mental health reasons, his parents previously testified in court. Shortly before that, he spent time in a Utah hospital for psychological purposes, his attorney said in court.

Last March, Carl Rice’s parents asked Wilbrandt to have their son treated for mental illness rather than being incarcerated.

Seated beside his attorney Friday, Carl Rice appeared calm throughout the proceeding.

“Thank you, your honor,” he told the judge as officers escorted him back to the jail.