Oh, that would explain it. Wow, he even went to a mailbox . . .
Anyway, here's the story of how he was let go after he was found "mentally ill":
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3052278&page=1
VT Killer Ruled Mentally Ill by Court; Let Go After Hospital Visit
Harassed Two Female Students; Concerns He Was Suicidal
University officials said the school had obtained a "temporary detention order" from a local magistrate that allowed them to refer Cho to an off-campus medical facility.
VT Killer Ruled Mentally Ill by Court; Let Go After Hospital Visit
April 18, 2007 A Virginia court found that Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho was "mentally ill" and potentially dangerous. Then the state let him go.
In 2005, after a district court in Montgomery County, Va., ruled that Cho was either a danger to himself or to others the necessary criteria for a detention order he was evaluated by a state doctor and ordered to undergo outpatient care.
According to the "Temporary Detention Order" obtained by ABC News, the doctor found Cho's "mood is depressed."
"He denies suicidal ideation. He does not acknowledge symptoms of a thought disorder," the doctor wrote. "His insight and judgment are normal."
The evaluation came from a psychiatric hospital near Virginia Tech, where Cho was taken by police in December 2005, after two female schoolmates said they received threatening messages from him, and police and school officials became concerned that he might be suicidal.
That information came to light two days after Cho, a Virginia Tech senior, killed 32 people and then himself in a shooting rampage on the university's campus.
Virginia State Police this afternoon also announced that NBC News received a package they believe was sent to the network by Cho.
NBC immediately alerted authorities, police say, and handed over copies of the contents, which included "multiple photographs, video and writings," according to Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty.
Authorities hope the package may help authorities better understand the killer's motivations as evidence of his previous mental issues mounts.
Police obtained the 2005 detention order from a local magistrate after it was determined by a state-certified employee that Cho's apparent mental state met the threshold for the temporary detention order.
Under Virginia law, "A magistrate has the authority to issue a detention order upon a finding that a person is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization or treatment.
"The magistrate also must find that the person is an imminent danger to himself or others," says the guideline from Virginia's state court system.
Wendell Flinchum, the chief of the Virginia Tech police department, said that it's common for university police to work with state-affiliated mental health facilities instead of on-campus counseling because it is easier to obtain a detention order.
"We normally go through access [appealing to the state's legal system for help] because they have the power to commit people if they need to be committed," Flinchum said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Cho was taken to Carilion St. Albans Behavioral Health Center in Radford, Va., a private facility that can take 162 inpatients, according to court documents.
It's unclear whether Cho went to the hospital with police on his own or was taken there under protective custody, a possibility under the temporary detention order obtained by police.
Authorities did not say how much time Cho had spent at the hospital.
One of the young women complained in November 2005 that Cho, then 21, was stalking her, but she declined to press legal charges against him. Police interviewed Cho for the first time and referred the case to the school's internal disciplinary board.
It's unclear whether any action was ever taken by the school, although Edward Spencer, a school vice president, said that it's not uncommon for a complaint to never reach a full hearing.
....but could it be filters or file size that delayed it?
