The Man Who Is Suspect Illinois Church Shooting May Have Had Mental Problems Caused By Lyme Disease

According to AP news the man who is suspect Illinois church shooting that killed a pastor may have had mental problems caused by Lyme disease.

Sedlacek  was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the attack at First Baptist Church that killed the Rev. Fred Winters and left Sedlacek and two congregant who tackled him with stab wounds.

Sedlacek 's mother told the paper that Lyme disease had left lesions on her son's brain. She told the paper that doctors had diagnosed him as mentally ill before discovering the disease

The suspected  has suffered short periods of erratic behavior his family has attributed to Lyme disease.

Sedlacek had been a quiet teen. But after his Lyme disease diagnosis and a hospitalization, he began making odd noises and his body would sometimes jerk. "They've tried all different kinds of treatments, but it seems nothing helped".

Sedlacek's attorney  told the Belleville News-Democrat on that his client has deteriorated both mentally and physically since contracting Lyme disease.

However, Dr. Eugene Shapiro, a Lyme disease expert at Yale University, said it would be unlikely that tick borne ailment would make someone so violent. "Lyme disease doesn't cause people to shoot people," Shapiro said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6301962.html