Man accused of setting fire to tree on UNC campus found not guilty by reason of insanity
The man accused of setting fire to the Davie Poplar tree on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus in 2017 was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Wednesday afternoon.
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“Both his expert and our expert made reports offering the opinion that he was legally insane and not capable of understanding the nature and seriousness of his offense,” Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman said.
Edwards had been charged with malicious use of explosives to inflict injury, malicious use of explosives to damage property, assembling a weapon of mass destruction, setting fire to grass or a grassland, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and filing a false police report after authorities said he detonated a device on Nov. 2, 2017, at the iconic Davie Poplar tree, which was planted when UNC-CH was founded.
Nieman said Edwards has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility and will receive treatment until a judge determines that he is no longer a danger to himself or others.
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The Davie Poplar tree sustained minimal damage in the incident and remains standing near McCorkle Place.
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