MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man accused of having sex with a corpse while working security at a hospital checked into a mental health facility.
Cameron Wright had restraints around his hands as he walked out of court Tuesday morning. WREG discovered he is now a patient at Lakeside Behavioral Health.
Wright’s public defender said Wright will get a court-ordered mental evaluation. That should take about 30 days.
Attorneys representing the family of Wright’s alleged victim questioned the timing.
“Sure he had problems. Sure he should have addressed them a long time ago. Now to fall down and say, ‘I can’t help myself’ seems like a crutch rather than a Band-aid,” said attorney Murray Wells.
Last week, two men called police claiming they walked in on Wright in a storage room at St. Francis Hospital having sex with a dead woman.
Family identified the woman as April Parham. They shared pictures of her and described her as a passionate teacher with a big heart.
Wright, charged with abusing a corpse, got out of jail on a $3,000 bond.
“We are getting more information every day from the community, from people that worked in the hospital and from people who worked at the security company,” said Wells.
Attorneys for the victim’s family believe once they put the pieces together, more people will be held accountable.
“This is big enough already. But I imagine at the end of the day, we are going to learn a lot more details that are incredibly shocking,” said Wells.
If Wright is convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.
Parham’s family hopes state legislators change the law and give stiffer penalties for abusing a corpse.
