'Connecticut Cannibal' held on $1 million bond

The man now known as the ‘Connecticut cannibal’ was arraigned in court on February 1 and charged with hacking a man to death with an axe and then eating his victim. Tyree Lincoln Smith (35) is being held in jail in lieu of a $1 million bond, having appeared before Connecticut Superior Court Judge Earl Richards. Prosecutor Donal Collimore asked for a high bond, having noted the “heinous” nature of the alleged crime. Smith has been ordered to receive a psychiatric evaluation, and is on a suicide watch at the Bridgeport Correctional Center. It is believed that Smith has a history of mental issues. Smith has confessed to police.

The bearded and hefty Smith stood quietly before the judge with his hands restrained behind his back. He will again face the court on February 14.  Smith is charged with the December 2011 slaying of Ángel ‘Tun Tun’ González. Police allege that Smith also ate one of the victim’s eyes and part of his splattered brain, having taken the body parts to consume at the grave of a deceased relative at a local cemetery. It was there that Smith allegedly at the eyeball and brains, washing them down with a shot of alcohol. González mutilated body was found inside a vacant apartment in Bridgeport CT, some 65 miles northeast of New York City, on January 23.

Smith was arrested in Lynn Haven, Fla., where he was arrested and held on a $1 million bond until he was escorted back to Bridgeport on January 31. Smith had warned his cousin, Nicole Rabb, that he was going to kill someone hours before Gonzalez was murdered, Rabb told police. Smith told his cousin that he had developed a “lust for blood” after having eaten  raw steaks. After leaving Rabb’s apartment in Bridgeport’s East End with a small axe, Smith returned the next day with blood splattered on the implement and his trousers.  According to police, Smith told Raab that he had "Gotten his blood."  Raab related to police of Smith, "He said he had gotten a rare steak at a restaurant in Florida and when he had tasted the blood it had given him a sexual sensation."

(Tyree Lincoln Smith. Courtesy Bridgeport Police)

Smith once played high school football in Ansonia CT, and later took up professional modelling in California. It was during a hospital stay that he began hearing voices. Over the years, Smith became somewhat estranged from his cousin, while he received some psychological counselling. Raab blamed police for not acting sooner to prevent the crime. She claimed that her family had advised police of Smith’s murderous plans before González death. He reportedly said that victim Gonzalez's eyeball tasted like an oyster.