The man suspected in two shooting deaths in Olney this month had seemingly been complying with his court-ordered mental health treatment, authorities said Thursday, and police were still trying to figure out how he obtained a gun.
A Montgomery County District Court judge denied bond for Rohan J. Goodlett, 35, who is charged with first-degree murder in the slayings of Punyasara Gedara and Nazir Ahmed.
Gedara was gunned down while walking home from work during the day on the 3400 block of North High Street on March 21. Ahmed was shot in the head in his home on the 19500 block of Olney Mill Road on March 18.
Goodlett has been under supervision by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since January 2009, after he was found guilty but not criminally responsible in a burglary and harassment case. According to a court order, he was required to see a psychiatrist and therapist once a month, avoid alcohol and drugs, and not “possess, own, use or carry” a gun or other weapon, among other conditions.
The department said in a statement that it generally “will seek a petition for revocation of the conditional release” if offenders violate release terms. The department “did not seek such a petition at any point” for Goodlett, the statement said.
But those charged with monitoring people undergoing mental health treatment are largely “at the mercy of what their patients tell them,” said Dr. Ryan Shugarman, a forensic psychiatrist in Alexandria.
David Paulson, a spokesman for the department, said the Goodlett case “remains under review.”
About 800 people who have faced criminal charges are on conditional release and under the department’s supervision, Paulson said.
Montgomery County police are still trying to determine how Goodlett obtained the gun, police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said. She said Goodlett was not legally registered to own a gun. The weapon hasn’t been recovered.
The motive in the attacks is still unclear. Baur said Goodlett had a “neighborly” relationship with Ahmed, who lived on his street, and doesn’t appear to have known Punyasara.
Mentally ill people who show signs of paranoia, delusions and hallucinations are those most prone to commit violent acts, said Shugarman, who is not involved in Goodlett’s case. He said regular treatment and communication among care providers are crucial for successful treatment.
Erica Redmond contributed to this report.
