Treatment too late
PSYCHOSIS: Rosa Cabral in May accompanies her son, Reny Cabral, 23, on his first shopping trip since becoming paralyzed in January. Last fall Reny began showing symptoms of an emerging psychotic illness. After a 10-hour stay at a county psychiatric facility in January, he was released and later attacked his girlfriend, holding a knife to her throat and choking her until she lost consciousness. As soon as the sheriff’s deputies arrived, any chance of Reny getting proper mental health treatment dissolved.
PARALYSIS: In jail on attempted murder charges, Cabral did not receive the psychiatric care and medication he desperately needed. He was placed in a safety cell and experienced another psychotic episode, with extreme paranoia leading him to ram his head against the cell walls. His actions inflicted severe damage to his spinal cord, and deputies allowed more than 8 hours to pass before transporting him to a local hospital. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
TREATMENT: Reny’s mother helps lift him back into bed at a Chico physical rehabilitation center after their shopping trip. Doctors say Reny’s injuries might have been less severe if he had received quicker treatment. More than 11 hours passed between the time he was last seen standing and the time he received medication to lessen swelling on his spinal cord. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
FAMILY SUPPORT: Arturo Cabral Jr. kisses Reny goodbye as he leaves the rehab center. Arturo has taken time off from his job to help care for his little brother, and his parents have mortgaged their home and taken out loans to help pay Reny’s legal and medical fees. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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REDEFINING A RELATIONSHIP: Cabral’s former girlfriend, Torrie Gonzales, strokes his head during a visit in May. After the attack, Gonzales moved back to her parents’ house in Riverside to grieve and rebuild her life. This was the first time she had seen Reny since the attack, but the two fell easily back into friendship, talking about and crying over their shattered romance and Cabral’s looming criminal charges. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
COMMUNITY: Jule Nasr, a close friend of the Cabral family, gives Reny a high-five as he makes his way toward his daily physical therapy session. Nasr has served as an important advocate for Reny, helping his family navigate the county’s complex legal and healthcare systems. Nasr and her husband have shouldered much of the financial burden of Reny’s legal battle, but many of the Cabrals’ relatives, friends, neighbors and customers have also pitched in. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
TRIAL: Rosa Cabral fights back tears at a June criminal court hearing. Her son Reny is charged with attempted murder and domestic abuse, and since Glenn County does not offer special mental health courts, his legal defense options are severely limited. In August he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, a claim that could lead to indefinite incarceration in a state mental hospital.
FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version of this caption incorrectly said that Reny Cabral had pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. He pleaded not guilty.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
REBUILDING A LIFE: Cabral shares a meal with his family during a shopping excursion to a mall in Chico. Given his disability, the courts ruled in March to release Cabral from jail on his own recognizance. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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ADJUSTING: Cabral wheels laps in the living room of his parents’ home in rural Orland, Calif., a small agricultural town in northern Sacramento Valley, about 20 miles west of Chico. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
PHYSICAL THERAPY: Arturo Cabral Jr. helps Reny do exercises to strengthen his neck. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
TRAINING: At night, Reny wears tight gloves that compress his hands to create a claw-like reflex that may help him perform simple tasks. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
FUTURE: Cabral is now taking medication that quiets his mind and gives him a gentle insight into his schizophrenia diagnosis. “I’m looking forward to what my life as a quadriplegic will bring me. I think it will be a more intellectual life than I would have otherwise had now that I dont have my body,” he told Nasr one night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
