A Colton man who on Mother's Day in 2017 decapitated his mom, killed his dog, then drove with her severed head to a grocery store in a neighboring town and stabbed an employee was sentenced Tuesday to life in state psychiatric custody.

Joshua Webb, 37, pleaded guilty except for insanity in Clackamas County Circuit Court to murder, first-degree abuse of a corpse, first-degree aggravated animal abuse, attempted murder and first-degree assault. He will be sent to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem.

Psychologists who evaluated Webb on behalf of his defense and prosecutors found Webb was likely under duress from psychotic disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum when he killed 59-year-old Tina Webb, dog Cooper and stabbed 65-year-old Mike Wagner, who survived.

Reports show Webb still suffers from hallucinations, delusions, speaks to and hears voices in his head despite being on anti-psychotic medication for a year, Circuit Judge Robert Herndon said in court. His condition could present dangers to others if he's not in an environment where he continues to receive treatment, the judge said.

Prosecutors said after the hearing that Webb could participate in an initial release hearing within 90 days of commitment and then at least once every two years afterward. The victims will be notified of each hearing, any possible release or escape, according to Herndon.

Webb made no statements in court other than to answer Herndon's questions about understanding the consequences of his plea. He stared straight ahead or down toward the table in front of him for the majority of the hearing and didn't look at his father or younger sister, who sat several feet behind him in the court gallery clutching tissues.

The sibling, Sarah Morris-White, discovered her mother's body on May 14, 2017, while visiting from out of town with her children. The father, David Webb, had been away from the home. Joshua Webb lived on his parents' property in an outbuilding.

According to prosecutors, Webb admitted to police he killed his mother, dismembered her body and later stabbed Wagner, but he never gave an explanation why. Surveillance video from the Harvest Market Thriftway in Estacada shows Webb run into the store with his mother's head and a large knife, drink a soda then stab Wagner as Wagner was coming out of the produce cooler.

Other workers beat Webb and tied him up with duct tape until police arrived. Officers described Webb as catatonic when they arrived.

Evidence shows Webb was behaving erratically for months before killing his mother, Herndon said, in an apparent cry for help "because he recognized the voices that were talking to him were leading him into trouble."

Webb surrendered his guns because he thought he could be a danger to others, destroyed the knives he owned, and falsely reported himself as a killer to two police agencies hoping they would arrest him, the judge said.

According to court records, Morris-White and Webb's ex-girlfriend told police Webb wasn't a violent person and didn't use drugs or alcohol. The sister reported that her mom told her he was "losing his mind," was paranoid and broke up with his girlfriend because he thought she was trying to kill him. The former girlfriend reported Webb had been complaining of feeling like a squid was sucking onto the back of his head two months before the killing and believed she was secretly injecting him with an unknown substance.

At one point during the court hearing, Wagner stood with his arms around his three daughters as one of them read a statement detailing the fear of not knowing their father's condition for hours after he was stabbed. They said the last year has been taxing on their family and "completely broken our sense of security."

Webb's mental illness needs to be addressed, the statement said, but the punishment for what he'd done felt inadequate because he could one day be granted release from the state hospital.

"Knowing Mr. Webb is capable of such horrific acts and yet could still be released to the general public is both terrifying and painful," read daughter Stephanie Wagner.

Morris-White said in a statement that her brother should never be released. She said Webb's actions warranted prison time or Tina Webb's death will "forever be without true justice."

"He must pay for his sin," said the statement read by John Wentworth, county senior deputy district attorney. "How can a person not give a reason why he murdered his own mother?"

Maryann Meaney, Webb's attorney, said Webb is remorseful, acknowledges he needs help managing his mental illness and "understands going to the state hospital is not a picnic." She apologized to Webb's and Wagner's families on his behalf.

Wentworth afterward acknowledged that prison sentences present a level of certainty for victims and their families that commitment to the state Psychiatric Security Review Board does not. He told the Webb and Wagner families to "trust the system" and trust that the doctors at the Oregon State Hospital will monitor and evaluate Webb to make sure he remains held there as long as he's a danger to the community.

"We hope that through this process that Mr. Webb gets the help he needs," Wentworth said. "He does need help."

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey