Wayne Man was on Prozac when He Fatally Stabbed Grandmother, Lawyer Says

According to his lawyer, a Wayne man who stabbed his 85-year-old grandmother to death three years ago was under the influence of Prozac at the time of the stabbing, NorthJersey.com reported.

According to the report, Mark Dubas, 27, stabbed his grandmother, Barbara Tyzbir, eight times in her Clifton home. He then ransacked the home, and ran out with her car and jewelry, the report said.

Dubas's lawyer did not deny the stabbing in court Wednesday, but did argue that the influence of drugs makes the killing aggravated manslaughter, not first-degree murder, the report said. Manslaughter would mean 10 to 30 years in prison, whereas murder would mean 30 years to life, the report said.

Prosecutors argued that Dubas's actions, including lying to police to cover up the stabbing, prove that he was not suffering from diminished mental capacity at the time of the killing, the report said.

According to NorthJersey.com, Dubas has a history of heroin and cocaine abuse, and had previously attempted to commit suicide.