Our Say: The tragedy of a family mental health crisis is keeping it secret

After a judge sentenced Donald John Bucalo to eight years in prison for the murder of his daughter, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess released a painful yet necessary statement. Michelle Bucalo’s mental illness should not have been a death sentence. Bucalo shot his daughter to death while she slept in their Severn home. His defense against murder charges was that his daughter’s bipolar disorder had become so uncontrollable that she presented a present danger to her family members, including children.