Traverse City Walmart stabbing suspect pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, ending criminal case

Updated on: September 8, 2026 / 5:14 PM EDT / CBS Detroit The man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart near Traverse City, Michigan, will be committed to a state psychiatric hospital rather than stand trial, after a judge accepted his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday. "This is the end of the criminal case," Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg said in a statement . Bradford James Gille , 43, of Afton, Michigan, entered the plea to the charges against him : one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. He waived his preliminary examination in the 86th District Court, meaning he agreed prosecutors had probable cause to believe he committed the crimes. The court reviewed reports from the state's Center for Forensic Psychiatry and found Gille was mentally ill and, because of that illness, "unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law," the prosecutor's office said. Gille pleaded not guilty after his arrest.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open CBS News ↗