The Massachusetts man suspected of stabbing four children in a movie theater and killing a man in Connecticut on Saturday pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he stabbed two McDonald’s employees at a rest area in Plymouth.
Jared Ravizza, 26, has been charged with two counts of assault and battery and assault with intent to murder for the McDonald’s stabbing. He was ordered held without bail and sent to a state hospital for a mental health evaluation, WCVB reported.
A doctor returned to court later and said Ravizza appears to have delusions, has trouble focusing, and hears voices in his head telling him what to do. The judge sent Ravizza to Bridgewater State Hospital for 20 days for more evaluation. He is due in court again in Plymouth on June 17.
Ravizza also faces four more counts of each of the same charges for the attack on four young girls, ages 9 through 17, at an AMC theater in Braintree earlier on Saturday, and Connecticut officials say charges are pending in their murder investigation.
Connecticut state police officially linked Ravizza on Tuesday to the murder of Bruce Feldman, 70, who was found dead outside a home in Deep River at about 3:30 Saturday afternoon, WCIT reported.
Two and a half hours later, Ravizza, who lives on Martha’s Vineyard, walked into the movie theater, bypassed the ticket window, and headed into a showing of the movie “If,” as CrimeOnline reported.
“Without saying anything and without any warning, he suddenly attacked and stabbed the four young females,” police said. “The attack appeared to be unprovoked. After the attack, the man ran out of the theater and left in a vehicle.”
The girls were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, while police found surveillance footage of the suspect’s vehicle leaving the scene. An hour later, police in Plymouth received calls about a stabbing in a McDonald’s restaurant at a park and ride rest area. The suspect had already fled the scene, but troopers located the vehicle about 20 miles away in Sandwich, on Cape Cod. They gave chase, and the vehicle crashed, bursting into flames.
Troopers took Ravizza into custody.
Police said that surveillance video showed Ravizza get into an argument with an employee in the McDonald’s drive-thru before stabbing the 28-year-old man in the arm, according to WCVB. Ravizza then parked his vehicle, ran into the restaurant, stabbed a 21-year-old woman who was working behind the counter, and fled.
Both victims are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
While in court in Plymouth, prosecutors said he was also charged with a count of indecent exposure for urinating while in the drive-thru.
Braintree police said they had secured an arrest warrant for Ravizza in connection with the movie theater stabbing, but it’s not clear when they’ll be able to execute it.
Ravizza was arrested in April on Martha’s Vineyard after his father called police and said his son “just had a mental break and attacked him.” Responding officers said the younger Ravizza “seemed clearly intoxicated” and began “speaking to us about nonsensical things … and began frothing out of the mouth as he spoke,” a police report said.
Police wanted Ravizza held at a mental health facility but professionals said he “did not meet their standards to be held.” He was charged with assault and battery and destruction of property but allowed to enter a diversion program. The charges would have been dismissed in November if he’d stayed out of trouble.
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[Featured image: Jared Ravizza/WCVB screenshot]
