I agree 100% (damn good timing in conjunction with my puppy thread).
And more importantly, what does "paying" for crimes really do? If it doesn't teach the person a lesson, there's no value to the punishment. A schizophrenic man has no rationale or understanding of such a crime committed during delusions (watch A Beautiful Mind if you haven't already for a mostly accurate portrayal of what schizophrenia can look/be like). To sentence him to life in prison or to death will not solve anyone's problems. The dead are still dead, and a mentally ill man is sent away to die and rot, never fully grasping what it was that happened and where he went wrong. This would most likely fuel his paranoid delusions, and push even further away from management and survival (you don't "recover" from schizophrenia. you live with it).
He should absolutely be admitted to a inpatient MH hospital to help him learn to manage and become a successful member of society even with this disease.
Thanks for this great story to discuss Rist.