A Greenville County court has found the man accused of stabbing three people inside a Laurens Road bookstore in 2024 not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court records. Tyler Anthony Burris, 30, had been charged with three counts of attempted murder and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon following the February 2024 attack at the 2nd & Charles store.
The verdict, first reported by FOX Carolina, came from the Greenville County Public Index, which shows Burris was found not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with the 2024 stabbing. That finding does not mean Burris is free to go. Under South Carolina Code Section 17-24-40, a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict triggers an automatic court order committing the defendant to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health for up to 120 days so doctors can determine whether long-term involuntary hospitalization is necessary, according to Justia Law.
What Happened Inside the Bookstore
Greenville police officers responded to the 2nd & Charles bookstore on Laurens Road after three people were stabbed, per the incident report cited in the FOX Carolina report. Shelf Awareness, published February 21, 2024, described the attack as happening “yesterday morning,” or February 20, while the GoFundMe account dates the incident to February 21. Investigators say Burris was armed not with a knife but with a clear piece of broken glass, which was used to cut all three victims, per the incident report.
Officers determined Burris did not have a knife, according to the incident report, even though he told officers he had one and needed help. Police deployed a taser during the confrontation, and Burris reportedly stated it would not affect him. He then fled on foot before police caught him shortly afterward and took him into custody.
A Victim's Long Recovery
One of the three people hurt in the attack, 2nd & Charles employee Katherine “KitKat” Gibson, described lasting physical and psychological injuries in a post-incident recovery account. Gibson suffered physical cuts and trauma requiring post-traumatic stress disorder therapy, and she lost work time across three jobs, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up after the attack.
The store where the stabbing happened sits at 2465 Laurens Road, along one of Greenville County's busiest commercial corridors. According to the Upstate Business Journal, parent company Books-A-Million planned to put a 2nd & Charles store in the location, which sits about a half-mile north of rival used bookseller Mr. K's Used Books.
How South Carolina Handles an Insanity Verdict
South Carolina law recognizes four possible verdicts in cases involving an insanity defense: guilty, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, or guilty but mentally ill, according to the South Carolina Legislature's published code. To succeed with an insanity defense, the defense must meet a preponderance-of-the-evidence burden under South Carolina law.
Even after the initial 120-day evaluation period, keeping someone like Burris in state custody requires clear and convincing evidence of mental illness and a need for involuntary treatment, under South Carolina Code Section 44-17-580. And release is not automatic even after treatment: under Section 17-24-40, a person committed after an insanity verdict is subject to statutory discharge procedures that may involve a proceeding before the circuit's chief administrative judge.
Insanity defenses are a distinct legal issue in criminal cases. The legal framework distinguishes an insanity verdict from other possible verdicts and sets requirements for asserting the defense.
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