Connecticut Killer Cannibal Victim's Family Terrified After Release Announced

Connecticut cannibal Tyree Smith is scaring the family of his murder victim, Angel Gonzalez, after Smith was granted a conditional release from a high-security hospital -- and Gonzalez's relatives are so freaked out they're applying for a protective order.

TMZ just interviewed Angel's sister-in-law Talitha Frazier, who says Gonzalez's daughter is so terrified of her father's killer, she's hoping a judge will quickly sign off on the restraining order, barring Smith from returning to Bridgeport, CT -- where the brutal slaying occurred in 2011.

As we reported, Smith was accused of hacking Gonzalez to death in a vacant building and eating a portion of his brain, along with his eyeball. Smith was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to 60 years in a maximum-security forensic hospital.

But, recently, the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board granted Smith a conditional release from the hospital, after a psychiatrist concluded his schizophrenia and other disorders were in full remission. The review board is sending Smith to his new home -- a community facility with around-the-clock supervision, but with a lot more freedom.

In the TMZ interview, Talitha said it's unfair Smith gets to walk free, explaining ... "We are upset because now he's able to look for a job, he's able to go to the mall, he's able to go to the movies out in the community. He's able to reunite with his son and his dad, but we can't reunite with Angel."

TMZ also recently spoke to Jeffrey Dahmer investigator Dennis Murphy ... who warned Smith could fall back into his murderous ways -- just like Dahmer, who vowed to kill and eat people again if he were ever released from prison ... before his own 1994 slaying behind bars.

Talitha says she agrees with Dahmer's assessment, pointing out Smith will likely act out again. She tells us, "[The] only way to protect our society -- he should have been kept behind closed doors."

If Smith does turn into Hannibal Lecter again, Talitha wants everyone involved in his release to be held accountable ... namely his doctors, and the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board.

That said, Talitha wants the public to know she wishes Smith no harm ... mainly because she thinks it's bad karma.