GILBERT, Ariz. — A man accused of murdering his housemate at the Tilda Manor group home in Gilbert has been offered a plea deal.
Christopher Lambeth was originally convicted of killing his grandparents near Tucson in 2007. He was found guilty except insane and sentenced to 25 years to life at the Arizona State Hospital for treatment.
Nine years later, a now-defunct state board approved his release to the community and he was eventually placed at Tilda Manor, a behavioral health group home that was supposed to provide 24/7 supervision to those living there.
Lambeth was arrested again in 2021 for killing his housemate, Steven Howells, at Tilda Manor.
This case is the subject of the 12News I-Team podcast Locked Inside.
MORE INFORMATION: Tilda Manor group home killing
After Lambeth’s 2021 arrest, he was booked at the Lower Buckeye Jail where he was caught on camera assaulting another inmate.
He’s facing two charges: first-degree murder in the group home death and aggravated assault in the jail attack.
Now, almost three years later, the prosecutor is offering a plea deal for both cases.
Details of the plea deal were discussed in open court Thursday morning. If Lambeth pleads guilty to a reduced second-degree murder charge, he’ll get 25 years in prison. For the aggravated assault, he'd get a year and a half to run concurrently with the other charge.
If he doesn’t take the deal, he could potentially face more prison time – even life in prison - if convicted at trial for the two charges against him. It’s also possible he could try and use a guilty except insane defense a second time.
So far, Lambeth has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The I-Team’s reporting exposed gaps in care when it comes to Arizona’s behavioral healthcare system. It also led to changes like the Psychiatric Security Review Board dissolving in 2022. Tilda Manor also shut down all five of its facilities in the East Valley.
The attorney for the group home victim’s family said he had no comment on the plea deal. The victim's family settled a civil lawsuit with the owners of Tilda Manor in 2023, but the details are not in the public record. A lawsuit against Arizona's Department of Health Services and other care providers is still ongoing.
The prosecutor said the plea deal deadline for Christopher Lambeth is next Friday, Jan. 26, although the prosecutor said he can be flexible.
If Lambeth doesn’t take the deal, the trial is scheduled for March of this year.
I-Team
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