The Amtrak passenger accused of stabbing four people in southwest Michigan told the police that he saw a demon that he had to fight, according to court documents cited by The Associated Press.
Arraignment was held on Monday for Michael D. Williams, who was represented by a court-appointed lawyer. The judge issued a not-guilty plea on Williams' behalf and ordered the accused to be held in Berrien County jail on $1 million bond.
The 44-year-old suspect is accused of stabbing three passengers and a conductor on Friday night when the train stopped about 10 miles north of South Bend, Indiana. Police used a stun gun to subdue Williams.
Williams later told police that the "guy he was talking to on the train turned into a demon and he had to fight" him, the AP reported.
The victims are all in stable condition.
Tracy Williams, one of the suspect's sisters, said she had spoken to her brother the week before and he seemed to be hallucinating. He told his sister that he feared for his life and had to go to Saginaw, according to Associated Press.
"We were having conversations back and forth, and I said, 'You know, Mike, this doesn't make any sense. Why are they after you?'" Tracy Williams said. "Whatever he believed in his head was real to him. Nothing I could have said could make him think any different."
"My heart goes out to the victims because they were innocent," she said. "He wasn't specifically targeting them. They did absolutely nothing to deserve this."
Williams, a military veteran, returns to court on Friday.
