A clinically insane Connecticut man who hacked another man to death and then devoured the victim’s remains was granted a conditional release Friday because his treatment has gone so well, according to state rehabilitation officials.

The Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board allowed Tyree Smith the conditional release at a hearing Friday because he has shown long-term stability and has been engaged with his medication regimen.

“To quote the director there, he is a joy. He is considered a support to the other people there,” forensic psychiatrist Dr. Caren Teitelbaum said, according to WSFB-TV. “Once he was stable, he was a really calming presence for other patients.”

Smith, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, killed and cannibalized homeless man Angel Gonzales in 2011.

He admitted to hacking Gonzalez, 43, to death with an ax, and then eating some of his brain and eyeballs at a cemetery in Bridgeport. He drank sake while consuming Gonzalez’s flesh.

Smith was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2013 and ordered to spend 60 years at a state hospital.      

Republican leaders in Connecticut bashed the decision as “outrageous” and “mind-boggling” in a Friday statement.

“This terrible decision puts public safety in jeopardy and is yet another terrible message to send to CT violent crime victims and their families. This person should never be out,” state senators Heather Somers, Paul Cicarella, Henri Martin and Stephen Harding said. “We are dumbfounded at this injustice. In what universe is this OK?”

Smith’s release privileges will only involve day passes to roam the hospital grounds at first, according to the review board, but he may be permitted for supervised off-site visits as he continues to improve.

Doctors noted that if Smith were to stop taking his medication, he would become a danger to society. 

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.