Man who stole his 93-year-old father's corpse from cemetery with the hope of bringing him back to life is sentenced to probation and mental health care



Vincent Bright avoids prison but ordered to take mental health medication



The distraught man told investigators he planned to resurrect his father with prayer



A man who stole his father's body from a Detroit cemetery was placed on probation today and ordered to take mental health medication or face jail.

Vincent Bright, 49, avoided a prison sentence under a deal with the Wayne County prosecutor's office. He pleaded guilty in August to disinterment of a body.

Bright 'absolutely' must continue getting mental health care and show his probation officer that he's taking medicine, Wayne County Judge James Chylinski said.

Vincent Bright (pictured) avoided a prison sentence under a deal to take mental health medication

'If you don't do that, I've got to lock you up,' the judge said.

In January, the body of 93-year-old Clarence Bright disappeared from Gethsemane Cemetery, shortly after his funeral but before the casket could be buried.



Family members led police to the body in a freezer in Vincent Bright's Detroit home.

Bright was arrested when police found him in a van with an empty casket in the back.

Police at the time said Bright was religious and had hoped his father would come back to life with prayers.



He was found mentally unfit to face the charges, but his mental health improved after weeks of treatment and observation in state hospitals.

Body snatcher: Police found Clarence Bright's casket in the back of son Vincent's van (pictured), but the body wasn't inside

'He went through a bad period, a lot of stress. ... He's doing fine. He's on his medication,' defense attorney Gerald Karafa said outside court, referring to the deaths of Bright's parents.

He said it was 'self-evident' that Bright's mental health played a role in the theft.



Bright declined to comment outside court. After his arrest, he spent 225 days in jail or in custody in state hospitals.

His bail had been set at $75,000 so a mental health evaluation could be completed, which found him fit for trial.