A federal judge has committed 52-year-old Joseph K. Banks, a diagnosed schizophrenic and serial killer, to the lifelong jurisdiction of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board.
While the ruling places him under state psychiatric care indefinitely, Banks could be released if he no longer poses a threat to others.
He Was Living in a Residential Group Home When He Shot and Killed Three Men
Banks was residing in a Northeast Portland group home in 2022 when he fatally shot three men in separate incidents over a three-month span.
That March, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for unlawfully possessing a firearm — a charge complicated by his prior commitment to a mental health institution and felony status.
U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio ruled that Banks had violated the term