JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More evidence released to Channel 4 in the state's case against the man accused of trying to kill a 9-year-old girl in a Best Buy restroom shows a violent outburst while he was waiting to be interviewed by detectives.
The video, obtained from the state attorney's office in the case of James Tadros, shows nearly 35 minutes Tadros sitting in an interrogation room the night of his arrest in June. Most of the video is of him alone -- but we also see the suspect ripping a surveillance camera off the wall and part of an interview between Tadros and detectives.
Tadros, 29, taps his fingers on a table in an interrogation room as he waits for police to interview him. He also touches the wall, and fidgets with his fingers in his lap. He then begins to bang his hand on the table.
The end of part one was redacted, but prosecutors say Tadros ripped a camera off the wall, ripping out the wires. When they moved him to a second interview and is left alone again, he gets up and pushes a chair underneath the camera. That's when police come in and remove the table and two extra chairs before zip-tying his hands and legs to his chair.
Local forensic psychologist Dr. William Meadows says watching the video isn't enough for him to know for sure if Tadros has a mental illness or disorder -- but it's enough for him to know Tadros needs a psychological examination.
"It's hard to say exactly, sometimes, in situations like this where an individual is in an interrogation room for a good number of hours without much stimulation, they may begin to engage is some peculiar behavior out of boredom for some type of stimulation," Meadow said.
Behavior like making those noises with his tongue out is something Meadows says Tadros could have acting out of boredom.
When two detectives begin to interview Tadros, he tells them he can read and write, can understand the detectives and he reads his Miranda rights from a note card. When the detective asks him if he understands the rights, Tadros responds "yes" and mentions a popular TV show.
Detective: "Did you understand what those rights were?"
Tadros: "Yea. Law and Order."
The rest of the interview was redacted from the video, but according to his arrest and booking report, he told the detectives: "I put the cellphone in the bathroom and asked the girl to get it for me." The police report goes on to quote Tadros as saying: "The violent rage was in control, I wasn't in control."
Tadros is being held without bond. His defense attorney filed a notice of intellectual disability and Tadros will have a psychological examination.