Ex-Mental Patient Held in Rape of Woman, 73

A former mental patient has been indicted on a charge of raping a 73-year-old woman 30 years after his acquittal by reason of insanity in the murder-rape of another victim of the same age.

Lawny Harden, 53, of Springfield, was being held Friday on $25,000 bail. A grand jury indicted him Wednesday on a charge of aggravated rape and breaking into a home.

Harden is accused of raping the woman at her apartment in August. After the assault, she escaped and found help from two passersby, according to state police. The victim gave a description of the attacker and it fit Harden. No weapon was used, according to court papers.

In 1966 Harden was charged with raping and stabbing to death Julia Sullivan, also 73, in her apartment a few weeks after his release from a psychiatric hospital. Prosecutors said he used a kitchen knife.

He was acquitted by reason of insanity in 1969 and committed to Bridgewater State Hospital for psychiatric treatment. It is not clear how long he stayed there. Medical records are confidential, and there is no longer any public information on Harden at the state’s Criminal History Systems Board.

In June 1982 Harden was charged with threatening to kill his mother and other relatives. A judge committed him to Northampton State Hospital.

He was accused of assault with a dangerous weapon in May 1993. A judge dropped that case without a finding, according to records of Springfield District Court.

Victor Gagnon, a public defender who represents Harden, said his client suffers from schizophrenia, a mental illness that can cause delusions. He had no details on Harden’s hospitalizations. But he said Harden had been legally released from his last commitment and was receiving mental health treatment.

When someone is acquitted by reason of insanity, he is generally committed to a psychiatric hospital. Periodic reviews must be carried out, and the patient must be released when he is no longer considered a danger to himself or others.