KRON4 Exclusive: Aunt of John Cowell opens up amid Nia Wilson murder trial

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — John Lee Cowell was back on the stand to testify in his own murder trial Thursday, but only lasted about 25 minutes before being thrown out of court.

Cowell, who’s on trial for the murder of Nia Wilson, went off on a profanity-laced rant before being escorted out of the courtroom, according to KRON4’s Digital Reporter Amy Larson who has been covering the trial.

He said that he believed 18-year-old Wilson and her two sisters were “aliens” and “gang members” who kidnapped his grandmother and were going to hurt her.

Cowell’s aunt, who wishes to remain anonymous, spoke exclusively to KRON4 News.

She said her nephew is mentally ill and the family has been trying to get him help for a long time.

The following is a transcript of what she told KRON4 in an emotional one minute and 44 second interview:

"We've tried to get him help for a long time and they just keep putting him back on the streets. My husband didn't want him at our home because he was afraid of him. It's just, he needs help. There is no help out there for the mentally ill. The families try to get them help. They called the police, they pick them up, they keep them for a short time and put them back out on the street. He thought his dad was an alien. He would ask them like three questions and if they didn't answer it right he thought they were aliens. And he thought his dad was so he hit him in the back of the head with a shovel. His dad is lucky he's alive. It has been going on for a while. The family has reached out, tried to get help. The police have no where to send him because the government closed all the mental hospitals. My sister was afraid to answer her phone because she was getting death threats. So the families end up with a long life of being victims when we've done everything we can to prevent this. Our hearts go out to this family. That beautiful young lady and her sisters. Oh my God."