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Office of the District Attorney P. David Soares QuanZhi Hou Pleads Not Responsible District Attorney P. David Soares today announced the plea of Not Responsible by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect of QUANZHI HOU, 39, of Albany, NY, to (1) count of Burglary in the 2 nd Degree, a Class C Violent Felony, in front of the Honorable Thomas A. Breslin. “The plea today ensures that Mr. Hou will not only get the treatment he needs now, but also that he will remain under the care of the mental health system until he is no longer deemed a threat to society,” commented DA Soares. “Not responsible pleas are very rarely accepted by this office due to the unique circumstances that must be present during the crime. In this case, our expert, in addition to the defense expert, agreed that this defendant did in fact display the symptoms and actions of a person who was not mentally responsible at the time of the incident. Given all the facts surrounding the crime committed by this defendant, the plea accepted by the Court today is the most just resolution in this case,” Days prior to this incident, the defendant had been released from Albany Medical Center and was to be on medication for a psychotic disorder which allegedly was in remission. However, on the date of the incident the defendant believed there was a woman upstairs in the victim’s house involved in a spy ring against him that was operating through his computer and television. He was also hearing voices at the time. On January 15, 2007 , the defendant knocked on the door of the victim’s home demanding to enter the residence and see a room on the second floor. When the victim refused, the defendant threatened the woman with a knife and tried to enter the home. The defendant then struggled with a male resident who was able to get him outside. The defendant remained in front of the home until the police arrived. Dr. Siegel evaluated the defendant on behalf of the Office of the District Attorney and in his opinion found HOU to be not responsible by reason of his psychosis on the date and time in question. In the next 30 days, doctors at the facility evaluating HOU will release their recommendations for the future care of the defendant. At the final commitment order, there will be a final order of protection. Assistant District Attorney Shannon Corbitt from the Major Offense Bureau is handling the prosecution of the case. ### For further information contact: Heather Streeter Orth
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