Yes, it was definitely one of those stories where one person's conjecture (some quote from law enforcement) took on a life of its own. Next thing you know, there are all sorts of stories on TV and in the press about bath salts and they all reference this incident, assuming that it was bath salts that was the cause.
Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know why or what caused this really bizarre behavior.
Psychotic break, pure and simple. We'll never really know, but I've seen enough patients suddenly snap that I'm not horribly suprised. Horrified, yes.