Roeder's Trial

[CatherineM]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='29 January 2010 - 03:26 PM' timestamp='1264800396' post='2047422']
That's so sad. Now I'm wondering if his lawyer didn't plead properly on purpose.
[/quote]
It's possible. There was a man with schizophrenia here that killed his sister in law, and the family stressed that he was an angry drug user, and only one uncle mentioned that he also had a mental illness. His attorney put on no defense at all, not a single witness. It was easier for him and his family to think that he was just a scumball than to admit he was mentally ill. He got 15 to life, and probably still isn't being medicated. I guess it will be easier to be in jail that long while psychotic anyway.

[Happy_Catholic]

He's been found guilty, the jury deliberated for only 37 minutes.

And apparently he's getting life imprisonment with a non parole period of 25 years.

If he is truly mentally ill, which I have always believed he was, I hope he appeals and gets into a facility that's better able to care for him.

There's been enough victims in this mess.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Happy_Catholic' date='29 January 2010 - 11:28 PM' timestamp='1264829314' post='2047609']
He's been found guilty, the jury deliberated for only 37 minutes.

And apparently he's getting life imprisonment with a non parole period of 25 years.

If he is truly mentally ill, which I have always believed he was, I hope he appeals and gets into a facility that's better able to care for him.

There's been enough victims in this mess.
[/quote]
Mental illness is an affirmative defense, and if you don't raise it at trial, you are precluded from raising it on appeal. He can appeal on the basis of ineffective counsel.

[Jaime]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='29 January 2010 - 06:23 PM' timestamp='1264807409' post='2047501']
It's possible. There was a man with schizophrenia here that killed his sister in law, and the family stressed that he was an angry drug user, and only one uncle mentioned that he also had a mental illness. His attorney put on no defense at all, not a single witness. It was easier for him and his family to think that he was just a scumball than to admit he was mentally ill. He got 15 to life, and probably still isn't being medicated. I guess it will be easier to be in jail that long while psychotic anyway.
[/quote]

I was thinking that if he was found innocent because he was schizophrenic, prochoicers couldn't have a field day over this.