SANTA CRUZ - The man police say stabbed a Santa Cruz woman to death suffered from schizophrenia when he was released early from Atascadero State Hospital as a result of a clerical area.
Over the weekend, the L.A. Times had an in depth investigation into how Charles Edwards slipped through the cracks.
Santa Cruz Police say he stabbed Shannon Collins to death.
"It's almost like we've gone back several weeks and that same pain is starting to come back out," said Helbard Alkhassadeh, a friend of Collins.
He's already been having a hard time coping with the loss of his friend, but it just got a lot harder.
To learn Edwards was released from a mental hospital in error, he's re-living the pain all over again.
"It's despicable and embarrassing for an agency that takes tax dollars to not have a way of double checking their process of releasing somebody," he said.
Police said Collins' death was a senseless, random act.
And Alkhassadeh agreed, until now.
"We kept hearing this was just a fluke, a random crime. These things happen. It's terrible and it's awful. No, they don't just happen. Things like this don't happen. That's what I've been trying to tell everyone," he said.
Collins owned a businesses in downtown Santa Cruz with her husband.
Local business owners said it hasn't been the same without her and after learning today's news, it's going to be even harder for them to cope with their loss.
"It totally could have been prevented. Obviously that person should not have been on these streets," said Mina Feuerhaken, local business owner.
And now Alkhassadeh said people on the central coast who loved Collins for her sweet personality and ability to lift everyone's spirits are facing the truth that they'll never see her again. All because of an un-checked error.
"I think the worse part of this is when you think about the mistake that was made by people that released him, Shannon ends up paying the ultimate price for it," he said.
