New York Local News

NEW YORK (CBS) ― They were in the police lineup, standing side by side with the man who allegedly butchered a Manhattan doctor.

David Tarloff showed signs of mental illness years before he allegedly murdered Kathryn Faughey. In fact, Dr. Kent Shinbach, who was injured in last week's attack, recommended Tarloff be institutionalized as far back as 1991. CBS 2 HD has tracked the accused killer's most recent journeys in and out of mental hospitals, and has an exclusive interview with two men who say they met him in a police lineup.

"Oh yeah, he definitely is not there, I mean he was asking 'Is Jesus here?' I'm mean asking far out questions, calling everybody 'Charlie,'" lineup volunteer Glen Felline said.

Felline and Robert Donnelly say police detectives asked them to stand in a lineup with Tarloff, because they're 6-foot tall Caucasian men.

When asked if Tarloff seemed put together or a little off, Felline said the whole episode was alarming.

"Like in the beginning when we first went there, he knew what he was doing, know what I mean? He has this, this sense about him because he knew to ask for a soda from the guys. He knew to ask them to go to the bathroom. He knew what to ask for. But then when he was left alone long enough, he started getting testy," Felline said.

Added Donnelly: "He was asking officers for his medication at the time."

Felline said Tarloff confessed.

"The thing about it is, he kinda admitted it right then and there. He was just blurting out things in the room. We were just sitting there, we were told not to engage him, leave him alone, don't talk to him. He blurted out that he did it: 'I'm sorr... I didn't know she was there ... '"

Their descriptions mirror accounts of Tarloff's behavior in court, and through the years, including erratic, violent episodes, even within the past eight months.

On June 6, 2007, at Midway Nursing Home in Queens, Tarloff was arrested while trying to see his mother and allegedly threatening to kill everyone there. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital center for evaluation and released.

On Aug. 3, Tarloff's father, Leonard, called police and said his son was behaving violently. He was hospitalized and released.

On Feb. 1, Tarloff was arrested at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway after allegedly attacking a security guard, again, while trying to see his mother.

His brother, Robert, told reporters off-camera the family had been trying to keep him hospitalized. He later spoke to CBS 2 HD's Dave Carlin.

"My mother, my father, my brother ... over 20-odd years we know my brother's been ill," he said. "We've tried many times to get him to stay in the place.

"We have a sick brother. We're inside and we trying to get info. We know where he is, how to reach him, things like that."
 
On mental health activist told CBS 2 HD the family handled this situation by the book.

"This family did everything right," D.J. Jaffe said. "They kept bringing him to the system, and the system kept turning the individual away."

Jaffe said there are laws that handcuff society when it comes to institutionalizing the mentally ill.

"What's needed is to change our laws so that people who need inpatient care can get it," Jaffe said. "People who need to be committed to hospitals can get committed to hospitals. And there's no law in New York that lets someone into the hospital until after they become a danger to self or others."

The same mental health system is now determining whether he's fit to stand trial.

CBS 2 HD's Dave Carlin contributed to this report

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