A violent career criminal who was on the streets and not in jail because she was assigned mental health treatment instead of prison time is accused of killing an innocent Los Angeles father.
Jade Simone Brookfield, 23, was arrested in April and charged with murder after she allegedly fatally stabbed 40-year-old Dennis Banner during an argument in a street. Law enforcement sources tell Fox News that Brookfield had a lengthy criminal history for alleged assault, assault with a deadly weapon and multiple violent felonies with knives, but she had inexplicably avoided incarceration and was repeatedly given mental health diversions.Â
It took a family losing their father for Brookfield’s diversion to be terminated, and only now is the suspect finally being held in custody.
This heartbreaking case is a prime example of the disaster that can happen when California’s loose mental health diversion laws combine with progressive L.A. District Attorney George Gascon’s soft on crime approach to seek diversion whenever possible.
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“We appreciate the public concern when someone is participating in a mental health program and allegedly commits a serious crime,” Gascon’s office said in a statement. “Our prosecutors make the best decisions they can in light of all the available information. Our heart goes out to all the victims in this matter, and we stand ready to support them on their journey to healing.”
Law enforcement sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, shared details and a timeline of Brookfield’s arrest record and violent criminal history.Â
Brookfield’s first encounter with Los Angeles Police happened in the early spring of 2020, during Gascon’s first year in office. Brookfield was arrested for attempted murder after she stabbed a woman in the chest with a knife, puncturing her lung.Â
Prosecution of the crime was delayed into 2021 because of the…
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