NASHUA – A man accused of killing an off-duty EMT may plead guilty by reason of insanity.
Matthew Packer is accused of fatally stabbing EMT Paul Frontiero on Oct. 9 after Frontiero came to the rescue of two women Packard was assaulting, according to the Boston Herald.
Jill Arnold and Kathryn Libby were walking down the street when one of them shouted at a passing vehicle. The car stopped, and a man later identified as Packer got out of the passenger seat, according to the Herald.
He threatened them with a knife and stabbed Libby, giving her injuries to her arm, ribs, back and face.
Frontiero attempted to stop Packer as he held the knife to Arnold’s throat and received 16 stab wounds to his right shoulder, left arm, stomach, back, side, hip and chest.
Packer’s defenders say his history suggests he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses as a result of “a lifetime of physical and emotional abuses.”
Packer claimed to have bipolar disorder but said he hadn’t been taking his medication because of the expense.