Delusions from supplement overdose may have caused man to stab mom, attorney said

A Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of stabbing his mother multiple times was delusional when the incident took place at their residence in 2023, his attorney said Thursday.

Psychiatrists examining Kort Eckman, 47, found that Eckman’s delusions on Oct. 3, 2023, may be linked to his taking numerous over-the-counter supplements or his body reacting to withdrawal from the supplements, defense attorney Tim Andrews told Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears.

The stabbing occurred while Eckman, a devout Jew, thought his mother was a notorious Nazi war criminal, Andrews said.

Eckman had used numerous supplements from June 2023 leading up to the stabbing, Andrews said.

Andrews said he would mount an insanity defense in the upcoming trial. The attorney pointed out that one psychiatrist found that when Eckman is not under the influence of those supplements that he does not present a threat to himself or his mother. Another psychiatric report on Eckman after he stabbed his mother in the back with a paring knife in January 2021 diagnosed him as having persecutory delusional disorder, Andrews said. Persecutory delusional disorder is a mental health condition in which a person cannot separate reality from their imagination.

No charges were listed in connection with the 2021 stabbing, according to the documents in the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System.

Assistant District Attorney Jacquelyn Knupp said Andrews should not be permitted to present an insanity defense. She said there is no evidence Eckman resumed taking supplements after Yom Kippur in September 2023 leading up to the stabbing.

Eckman is charged with first-degree attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and simple assault. Police said his mother, Rose, had 10 to 20 stab wounds from a kitchen knife that were inflicted while she was sleeping.

Mears said he would not permit the defense to present to the jury a report from Pittsburgh psychiatrist Dr. Robert Wettstein that says Eckman’s mental health issues were caused by ingesting numerous legal over-the-counter supplements or his no longer taking them. The judge said he was concerned about the report contending that Eckman was involuntarily intoxicated by taking an overdose of supplements when it appears Eckman’s case is one of voluntary intoxication.

Andrews said he wanted time to file an appeal, so Mears postponed the trial from July to September.

Even if the jury is not permitted to hear Wettstein’s report, Andrews said, the jurors would form an opinion if they hear the Westmoreland County 911 recording of Eckman’s call on Oct. 2, 2023, before the stabbing. During that call, Eckman said he feared he might have started a nuclear war because he had to urinate.

Andrews also sought to suppress a 20-minute interrogation that Pennsylvania State Trooper Robert Politowski conducted on Oct. 3, 2023, on grounds that Eckman was in no mental condition to waive his Miranda rights.

Politowski said Eckman appeared to understand his Miranda rights and did not appear confused during questioning. But Eckman did say things that troopers found odd, Politowski said, including referring to his mother as Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann. Eichmann was held responsible for the death of millions of Jews during World War II.

Andrews argued Eckman’s comments seem to indicate he had a mental health issue. The attorney said the trooper was not in a position to determine whether Eckman was capable of voluntarily relinquishing his right to an attorney.

Knupp, the assistant district attorney, argued that Eckman was not confused during the interrogation and knowingly relinquished his Miranda rights.

Mears agreed that Eckman made bizarre statements in the 911 call but that Eckman realized he had done something wrong.

Eckman remains in Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bond.