"The System Failed Everybody": 2-Year-Old Fights For Life After Stabbing By Man Repeatedly Ruled Incompetent To Stand Trial
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being stabbed multiple times in the face by a complete stranger while sitting in a stroller at a Providence school bus stop. The attacker had previously been accused of stabbing two other children, but was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial before simply being released back into the community.
Police say the attack was unprovoked. The man did not know the mother or child. Months earlier, a doctor had assessed that he was "not likely to imperil the peace and safety of the community or himself at this time." A judge accepted the recommendation and allowed him to remain free on outpatient treatment.
What kind of justice system lets a mental guy who previously stabbed two kids walk around freely?
The latest incident occurred in broad daylight Wednesday near Broad Street and Public Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The mother, 26, was waiting with her two-year-old daughter for the child's siblings to arrive on a school bus. Nelson Blanco, 46, approached them. The mother moved across the street, but Blanco followed, insulted her, and then attacked, according to Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez.
Perez said Blanco stabbed the girl in the face multiple times and stabbed the mother in the shoulder. The attack was "unprovoked," and the victims did not know the suspect.
Bystanders intervened. Witness Jesse Alice Palmer, a nursing assistant, said the toddler stopped breathing and that she and another woman performed CPR until emergency responders arrived. The girl remains in critical condition at Hasbro Children's Hospital. The mother was treated and released.
Horrific.
Blanco fled the scene, broke into a nearby home on Daboll Street occupied by a woman over the age of 60, and locked himself in the basement. Police forced entry and arrested him. A bloodied knife with a blade longer than three inches was recovered.
He has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon, breaking and entering into a dwelling occupied by a person over 60, and knife possession offenses.
He appeared in Providence District Court the following day wearing a hazmat suit. No plea was entered. The court ordered a competency evaluation and a dangerousness assessment. He is being held as a bail violator.
Blanco's history with the courts stretches back more than two decades. In September 2003, he was charged with stabbing two seven-year-old boys who were playing outside in Providence. The attack was described at the time as a "senseless and random act of violence." Both children survived.
Psychiatric evaluations conducted between 2003 and 2006 described him as "paranoid" and "out of touch with reality." A 2005 report stated that he met diagnostic criteria for polysubstance dependence, borderline intellectual functioning, and active symptoms of psychosis.
Doctors repeatedly assessed him as being at "moderate risk of creating a likelihood of serious harm to others." One doctor warned that, without treatment, he could "become overly violent."
In 2007, Rhode Island's behavioral health agency determined there was "no reasonable likelihood that in the foreseeable future Nelson Blanco will become competent." The criminal case was closed. He was an inpatient at Eleanor Slater Hospital, the state's psychiatric facility, until an alternative placement was found.
Under state law, a defendant found incompetent cannot be held indefinitely on the criminal charge once the commitment period reaches two-thirds of the maximum sentence for the most serious offense. A separate civil commitment process was available if authorities believed he posed a likelihood of serious harm, but records indicate that step was not taken.
He was found incompetent again in 2018 after being charged in 2017 with possession of a stolen vehicle. Doctors determined he had an intellectual disability disorder and schizophrenia. In 2024, he was charged with domestic violence-related offenses after breaking into his sister's home through a window. He was again found incompetent to stand trial.
In July of this year, in connection with the 2024 case, a doctor recommended that Blanco remain on outpatient status, writing that he was "not likely to imperil the peace and safety of the community or himself at this time." Judge Brian Stern accepted the recommendation. Blanco was not institutionalized.
They are directly responsible for the horror that has now unfolded.
Retired attorney David Levy, who represented Blanco in the 2003 case, told local reporters that judges typically follow a doctor's assessment. "You can't be held there for the rest of your life or indefinitely if you are not restored to competency," Levy said. "I highly doubt a judge is going to overrule that" if a state-affiliated doctor concludes the person does not present a danger to the community.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's office confirmed that Blanco has been found incompetent to stand trial after mental health evaluations in at least three separate cases. The state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals declined to comment on the releases, citing patient privacy laws.
Witness Palmer, who helped stabilize the toddler, said after learning of Blanco's history: "He should not have been out in the streets. You failed him, you failed the baby, you failed the kids that got stabbed before." She added: "The system failed everybody."
Chief Perez said at a press conference that he does not believe the system is broken. He stated that the police department's role is to investigate and present facts to the courts, which are responsible for accountability. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley described the attack as a "senseless act of violence."
Blanco remains in custody. His next court date for a status update on the competency evaluation is scheduled for October 22. The toddler remains in critical condition.
When will this nightmare of protecting dangerous lunatics end?
These repeat offenders keep being enabled in blue cities:
Seattle's mayor reached for new gun laws while repeat offenders stayed on the street.
A man who stabbed a father 30 times in front of his children was out after four years.
A career criminal fired a shotgun through a front door and murdered a 19-year-old on her own porch.
Illinois Democrats lost track of hundreds of violent criminals.
A judge admitted taking a chance on a violent criminal who then went on a shooting spree.
Another repeat offender was freed early and went straight back to it.
Another left an elderly American dead.
The file keeps growing, and the excuses stay the same.
Chicago has run the same experiment longer than almost anyone. A man fresh out of jail threatened to kill white people with hammers and a train torcher had 72 prior arrests.
Until judges in these cities start handing out proper punishments, this endless doom loop is set to continue indefinitely.
Tyler Durden Sun, 10/11/2026 - 16:30
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being stabbed multiple times in the face by a complete stranger while sitting in a stroller at a Providence school bus stop. The attacker had previously been accused of stabbing two other children, but was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial before simply being released back into the community.
Police say the attack was unprovoked. The man did not know the mother or child. Months earlier, a doctor had assessed that he was "not likely to imperil the peace and safety of the community or himself at this time." A judge accepted the recommendation and allowed him to remain free on outpatient treatment.
What kind of justice system lets a mental guy who previously stabbed two kids walk around freely?
The latest incident occurred in broad daylight Wednesday near Broad Street and Public Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The mother, 26, was waiting with her two-year-old daughter for the child's siblings to arrive on a school bus. Nelson Blanco, 46, approached them. The mother moved across the street, but Blanco followed, insulted her, and then attacked, according to Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez.
Perez said Blanco stabbed the girl in the face multiple times and stabbed the mother in the shoulder. The attack was "unprovoked," and the victims did not know the suspect.
Bystanders intervened. Witness Jesse Alice Palmer, a nursing assistant, said the toddler stopped breathing and that she and another woman performed CPR until emergency responders arrived. The girl remains in critical condition at Hasbro Children's Hospital. The mother was treated and released.
#BREAKING: A BLACK MALE HAS JUST ST*BBED A YOUNG MOTHER AND HER 2-YEAR-OLD BABY IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.
THE BABY IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION IN THE HOSPITAL.
A HORRIFYING SCENE ON THE STREET OF AN EMPTY STROLLER.
PLEASE PRAY!!!!! https://t.co/LgBiXsysYi
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) October 7, 2026
Horrific.
Blanco fled the scene, broke into a nearby home on Daboll Street occupied by a woman over the age of 60, and locked himself in the basement. Police forced entry and arrested him. A bloodied knife with a blade longer than three inches was recovered.
He has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon, breaking and entering into a dwelling occupied by a person over 60, and knife possession offenses.
He appeared in Providence District Court the following day wearing a hazmat suit. No plea was entered. The court ordered a competency evaluation and a dangerousness assessment. He is being held as a bail violator.
Blanco's history with the courts stretches back more than two decades. In September 2003, he was charged with stabbing two seven-year-old boys who were playing outside in Providence. The attack was described at the time as a "senseless and random act of violence." Both children survived.
Psychiatric evaluations conducted between 2003 and 2006 described him as "paranoid" and "out of touch with reality." A 2005 report stated that he met diagnostic criteria for polysubstance dependence, borderline intellectual functioning, and active symptoms of psychosis.
Doctors repeatedly assessed him as being at "moderate risk of creating a likelihood of serious harm to others." One doctor warned that, without treatment, he could "become overly violent."
In 2007, Rhode Island's behavioral health agency determined there was "no reasonable likelihood that in the foreseeable future Nelson Blanco will become competent." The criminal case was closed. He was an inpatient at Eleanor Slater Hospital, the state's psychiatric facility, until an alternative placement was found.
Under state law, a defendant found incompetent cannot be held indefinitely on the criminal charge once the commitment period reaches two-thirds of the maximum sentence for the most serious offense. A separate civil commitment process was available if authorities believed he posed a likelihood of serious harm, but records indicate that step was not taken.
He was found incompetent again in 2018 after being charged in 2017 with possession of a stolen vehicle. Doctors determined he had an intellectual disability disorder and schizophrenia. In 2024, he was charged with domestic violence-related offenses after breaking into his sister's home through a window. He was again found incompetent to stand trial.
In July of this year, in connection with the 2024 case, a doctor recommended that Blanco remain on outpatient status, writing that he was "not likely to imperil the peace and safety of the community or himself at this time." Judge Brian Stern accepted the recommendation. Blanco was not institutionalized.
They are directly responsible for the horror that has now unfolded.
Retired attorney David Levy, who represented Blanco in the 2003 case, told local reporters that judges typically follow a doctor's assessment. "You can't be held there for the rest of your life or indefinitely if you are not restored to competency," Levy said. "I highly doubt a judge is going to overrule that" if a state-affiliated doctor concludes the person does not present a danger to the community.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's office confirmed that Blanco has been found incompetent to stand trial after mental health evaluations in at least three separate cases. The state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals declined to comment on the releases, citing patient privacy laws.
Witness Palmer, who helped stabilize the toddler, said after learning of Blanco's history: "He should not have been out in the streets. You failed him, you failed the baby, you failed the kids that got stabbed before." She added: "The system failed everybody."
Chief Perez said at a press conference that he does not believe the system is broken. He stated that the police department's role is to investigate and present facts to the courts, which are responsible for accountability. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley described the attack as a "senseless act of violence."
Blanco remains in custody. His next court date for a status update on the competency evaluation is scheduled for October 22. The toddler remains in critical condition.
When will this nightmare of protecting dangerous lunatics end?
These repeat offenders keep being enabled in blue cities:
Seattle's mayor reached for new gun laws while repeat offenders stayed on the street.
A man who stabbed a father 30 times in front of his children was out after four years.
A career criminal fired a shotgun through a front door and murdered a 19-year-old on her own porch.
Illinois Democrats lost track of hundreds of violent criminals.
A judge admitted taking a chance on a violent criminal who then went on a shooting spree.
Another repeat offender was freed early and went straight back to it.
Another left an elderly American dead.
The file keeps growing, and the excuses stay the same.
Chicago has run the same experiment longer than almost anyone. A man fresh out of jail threatened to kill white people with hammers and a train torcher had 72 prior arrests.
Until judges in these cities start handing out proper punishments, this endless doom loop is set to continue indefinitely.
Tyler Durden Sun, 10/11/2026 - 16:30
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
