WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Justin Wagenberg is accused of beating his wife to death with a wrench while she was sleeping back in October 2022 in Waterford Township.
Wagenberg has since been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
The evidence for an insanity plea is in two psychiatric evaluations, which are medical records that are private by law. The incident is a murder case where the victim’s family will never get to see the evidence.
“It’s the rage, you know,” said Katy Dougherty’s father, Jim Dougherty. “You get angry and frustrated. There’s a lot of frustration going on.”
A little more than a year ago, Dougherty’s daughter, Katy, who was a beloved and gentle hairdresser, was shockingly taken from him by her husband while she slept.
Last week in court, a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity from Justin was accepted by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office after two psychiatric exams were done.
Both doctors agreed that there was a preponderance of evidence that Justin was legally insane when he killed his wife.
But Katy’s family will never see that evidence as medical records are kept private by law. They will never see what those doctors agreed upon that said Justin was legally insane. The Justin they knew as Katy’s husband was different.
“We could have learned all of the details,” said Katy’s aunt, Peggy Dougherty-Dahl. “I begged for details. I emailed and talked to her last week to have the judge waive his HIPPA rights so that we could see the proof of why he was insane. We never thought he was insane.”
Katy’s family felt like they were kept in the dark about the details.
“We asked could you have the judge wait so that you could prove to us that he’s insane because we have a right to know,” Peggy said.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Jim said. “That’s what I kept saying. There’s something wrong.”
Once a year, the defendant needs to be evaluated, and the family fears that there is a slight chance the door could open to an early release.
