Four decades later, a Chester County man who killed his wife has been released from a psychiatric hospital

A Chester County man who killed his wife and unborn child during a violent episode in 1978 was released Tuesday from Norristown State Hospital.

Richard Greist, 71, had been involuntarily committed at the facility since 1981, after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for stabbing his wife, Janice, to death and cutting the fetus out of her body. Greist also stabbed his then-6-year-old daughter in her eye and slashed his grandmother’s throat, according to prosecutors.

Chester County Court Judge Edward Griffith issued a ruling late Monday that Greist could go free on the condition that he have no contact with his daughters, now 49 and 50, among other requirements. Greist must meet with his psychiatrist monthly, and is due back in court in January for a status hearing in his case.

He was released to the Norristown home of his current wife, Frances, who said in a brief interview Tuesday that she is “very grateful to have him home.”

“I’ve known him for 18 years, and I’ve loved him as long as I’ve known him,” she said.

» READ MORE: From 2013: "Greist, who killed wife in 1978, to stay in hospital"

Since his trial, Greist has fought to be released, and his attorneys have said he presents no danger to the public. In the more than 40 years since the crime, Greist was given more and more freedom at the facility, including day passes off-site.

In a 2013 report, Greist’s psychiatrist, Ira Brenner, said Greist had made progress over the years and had demonstrated “greater self-awareness, expressions of sadness and remorse.” He recommended at the time that Greist be placed in a less restrictive program.

During a hearing Monday, Brenner repeated that opinion and said he believed Greist should be released.

But Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan fought to keep Greist in custody. A prosecutor from her office argued Monday that there’s still a risk for him to suffer another violent mental breakdown.

In a statement Tuesday, Ryan said she is “very disappointed” with Griffith’s decision and is considering filing an appeal.

“Mr. Greist committed one of the most brutal and heinous murders in our county’s history, and his release — over our vehement objection — is deeply troubling,” Ryan said. “In the four decades Mr. Greist has been at Norristown State Hospital, our office has unwaveringly maintained that he should not be released.”

Greist’s attorney, Marita Hutchinson, said Tuesday that she was satisfied with Griffith’s decision. It was made, she said, after careful consideration of Brenner’s expert medical opinion.

Hutchinson said Greist reacted to the news with “mixed emotions.”

“He is certainly pleased with the decision,” Hutchinson said. “But as he told me, ‘I can’t really feel happy, because I have so much guilt and grief and regret for the deaths of my wife and unborn child and the injuries that happened to my daughters.’”