Double Murder Suspect 'Failed' by the System? Family and Friends Say Her Mental Health Issues Weren't Taken Care Of

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Byline: GORDON JACKSON and JIM SCHOETTLER

ST. MARYS - People close to a St. Marys woman charged with killing her grandmother and aunt's boyfriend Saturday in South Florida say law enforcement and medical officials could have prevented the crimes.

Amy K. Kern, 30, was charged Saturday in Jupiter with fatally beating and stabbing her grandmother, Donna Kern, 80, with a tire iron. She was also charged in the fatal shooting of William E. Chapman, 59, in Palm Beach Gardens. Chapman was the live-in boyfriend of the suspect's aunt, Beverly Kern.

She had been out on $5,850 bail since Dec. 31, three days after her arrest on felony aggravated assault charges in two attacks with an ax on her fiance, Andy Charneski. He declined to comment.

His sister-in-law, Pamela Charneski said Kern should not have been released from jail after that attack because she had previous mental health issues.

Authorities knew of Kern's mental health issues more than a year ago, with one police officer saying in December 2007 that he thought Kern had "reached a crisis stage with her …