insanity

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NYC Man: Alter-Ego Killed Son, Wife

'Roberto' vowed to do wrong; relatives say baloney

(Newser) - When New York cops busted a Manhattan hotel janitor in the murder of his wife and 14-year-old son, he had one defense: his imaginary alter-ego "Roberto" did it. Otto Herrarte admitted stuffing the bodies in garbage bags at his Queens home, but said Roberto slit their throats. "I...

Elizabeth Smart Recounts Daily Sexual Abuse

She testifies that captor uses religious rants to get his way

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart delivered frank testimony in federal court today on the abuse she suffered at the hands of Brian David Mitchell during a 9-month abduction, describing how Mitchell used religion to justify repeatedly raping her. Smart, 14 at the time, said Mitchell chained her leg to a tree at the...

Kidnapper's Dad: My Son Is a 'Crazy Person'

Manuel Garrido says LSD drove Phillip to madness

(Newser) - The father of the man accused of kidnapping, raping, and imprisoning Jaycee Dugard says his son was a model youth—until he discovered acid, reports the Los Angeles Times. "Everyone loved him," Manuel Garrido says of Phillip, who played guitar in a band, cracked jokes, and always helped...

'Mad Pride' Calls for Rethink of Insanity

(Newser) - A growing grassroots movement called Mad Pride is urging Americans to reconsider mental illness as a "dangerous gift" rather than a disease, Newsweek reports. Spearheaded by the 8,000-member-strong Icarus Project, based in Manhattan, Mad Priders are "pro-choice" about meds—take them if you want—and...

Tyson: I Hear Voices
 Tyson: I Hear Voices  
Interview
Mar 21, 2009 11:33 AM CDT

Tyson: I Hear Voices

(Newser) - Mike Tyson’s handlers want him to stay on task, to talk about his new movie Tyson. The notorious heavyweight has other ideas. “I’ll talk about anything,” he says. “I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done in my life.” And talk he does,...

Madoff May Plead Insanity
 Madoff May 
 Plead Insanity 
Dec 28, 2008 3:56 PM CST

Madoff May Plead Insanity

Sources say attorneys are considering multiple personality disorder argument

(Newser) - You'd have to be a little bit crazy to cook up a $50 billion Ponzi scheme, but Bernard Madoff’s lawyers are exploring taking things a bit further with an insanity defense. “They may even say he has a multiple personality disorder,” a source tells the New York ...

UK Asylum Releases Ripper Suspect's Notes

Victorian madman's 117-year-old medical records offer new clues

(Newser) - A British institution for the criminally insane has released the medical records of a madman long suspected of being Jack the Ripper, the Independent reports. The documents contain no conclusive proof, but offer enough to keep Thomas Cutbush on the suspect list. The "very insane" young man threatened to...

Court Orders Fritzl Held 1 More Month

Will now likely face manslaughter charges in baby's death

(Newser) - An Austrian court today ordered Josef Fritzl to remain in custody for another month while the investigation continues, reports Reuters. In addition, reports the Times of London, prosecutors say Fritzl will probably now face manslaughter charges after admitting in an interview that one of the children he fathered with his...

Fritzl Blames Nazis, Says He Was Trying to Save Daughter

Didn't plan incest; gave in to taste for 'forbidden'

(Newser) - In jail-cell notes released by his lawyer, Josef Fritzl goes to bizarre lengths to defend the rape and imprisonment of his daughter, citing his Nazi upbringing for instilling “a high regard for decency and uprightness,” and a need to save the 18-year-old Elisabeth from drinking and dissipation. “...

Fritzl Will Plead Insanity
Fritzl Will
Plead Insanity
May 4, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Fritzl Will Plead Insanity

Lawyer says man who raped daughter for 24 years' is mentally ill, not responsible for actions

(Newser) - The man charged with imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raping her may not spend long behind bars, reports the Times of London, as Josef Fritzel's lawyer plans to plead insanity to avoid a prison term. “Josef Fritzl is mentally ill and therefore not responsible for his...

Nowak to Argue Temporary Insanity
Nowak to Argue Temporary Insanity
Aug 28, 2007 4:01 PM CDT

Nowak to Argue Temporary Insanity

Ex-astronaut's lawyer says he may cite mental disorder

(Newser) - Former astronaut Lisa Nowak will plead temporary insanity if she goes to trial on kidnapping and assault charges next month. A notice her lawyer filed today says she was experiencing a major depressive disorder when she attacked her ex-lover's girlfriend at the Orlando airport in February, the Sentinel reports.

Stories 21 - 31 | << Prev