Father charged in slayings switched meds, notes show

A bank executive charged in the murder of his twin 5-year-old daughters switched antidepressant medications two weeks before the killings, according to a doctor's notes that were made public Friday.

The notes were written by a doctor caring for David Crespi at the Mecklenburg County jail three days after the January killings. They were shown to a judge who later had Crespi moved to the state's prison hospital in Raleigh under a suicide watch.

Crespi faces first-degree murder charges in the Jan. 20 stabbing deaths of his daughters, Samantha and Tessara, at the family's home in the south Charlotte suburbs. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they intend to seek the death penalty.

David Crespi's father and wife have said he suffered from depression.

The doctor notes were made part of Crespi's case file Friday by Judge Karl Adkins at the request of The Charlotte Observer.

According to the notes, Crespi had been taking the medication Paxil, but it was causing him to gain weight, so he switched to Prozac.

The notes say Crespi had a history of depression and had contemplated suicide three times since 1995. The notes describe Crespi as in "constant suicidal thought" on the day of the examination.

Prosecutors opposed the release of the notes, but Crespi's defense attorney did not.