famous insanity defense cases

NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the preliminary print of the United States Reports. The insanity defense derives from the theory that mental defects can prevent an individual from having the intent to commit a crime - thus making that person not guilty. O.J. The two most recent Supreme Court cases on the entrapment defense are Mathews v.United States, 485 U.S. 58, 63 (1988) and Jacobson v.United States, 503 U.S. 540, 548 (1992).In Mathews, 485 U.S. at 62, the Court held that a defendant who denies commission of the crime is entitled to an entrapment instruction as long as there is sufficient evidence from which a reasonable jury could find entrapment. As you'll see, though, convincing a jury of your insanity is tricky, and only about 1 percent of cases that use the insanity defense are successful (and of that successful 1 percent, only about 15 to 25 percent of those cases are acquittals) [source: Lilienfeld].Societies have been using some form of the insanity defense . Montana v. Egelhoff (95-566), 518 U.S. 37 (1996). Insanity Defense Cases: There are many famous cases of murderers who have used the insanity plea while on trial. O.J. The legal strategy sometimes helps and sometimes hinders the accused. v. State, 335 Ark. The jury heard testimony from 79 witnesses, including 23 doctors, according to the Los Angeles Times. After an unsuccessful attempt at an insanity defense, Gacy was convicted on all 33 counts of murder. Insanity Defense. Insanity defense is where the criminal lawyers argue that the defendant is not responsible for the crime committed since the defendant was suffering from an episodic or persistent psychiatric disorder at the time of act. Summaries of famous and significant insanity defense cases, from the trial of the house painter who shot U.S. President Andrew Jackson in 1835, to the case of Andrew Goldstein, a diagnosed . The shooting was seen by millions on television, and Hinckley was immediately apprehended. So what do these two cases have in common? Smith died the next day, and Arenburg . We have an insanity defense to help protect people with mental illness. He went to trial on February 6, 1980. 2 O.J. Simpson (Murder Trial) Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson was a famous National Football League player accused of killing both Nicole Brown-Simpson, his ex wife, and Ronald Goldman, a crime which occurred on . Notable Cases Featuring an Insanity Defense John Hinkley, Jr - One of the most famous cases with this type of defense involved a man named John Hinkley, Jr. Hinkley developed an obsession with the 1981 movie, Taxi Driver that led to him stalking actress Jodie Foster, and also attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. On the surface this case seems to echo John Hinckley's famous "Taxi Driver Defense," but there are a few subtle differences we would like to point out: Hinckley claimed he tried to kill President Reagan to impress Jodie Foster by emulating the character of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver.Tonda Lynn Ansley, on the other hand, shot her landlady in the face because she saw Keanu Reeves jump over . Famous Insanity Cases - As criminal proceedings begin for accused Aurora, Colo., shooter James Holmes, there is speculation his attorneys will seek an insanity defense. She was bafflingly acquitted by reason of insanity. Federal prosecutors have dropped murder charges against a Bronx man and his brother after the man's lawyers produced his MetroCard, saying it showed that he was innocent. Daniel McNaughton's case provided the groundwork for America's insanity-defense laws. The 'American Sniper' murder trial recently wrapped up in a Texas courtroom. "That's because . Simpson was tried for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The defense is named after Daniel M'Naghten. This means that just suffering from a mental disorder is not sufficient to prove insanity. With his conviction, he became the most . Criminal insanity is a legal defense that can be used to avoid conviction for a crime. Whatever the outcome, self-defense cases usually manage to generate controversy. MIND; 1977.) John Wayne Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994. The insanity defense represents a prominent symbol of the relationship between law and psychiatry. Throughout history, the insanity defense has played a controversial role in many legal systems around the world. 2 Despite the fact that it is infrequently raised and seldom successful, the insanity defense is the subject of intense legal and public scrutiny. This case spurred debate over the insanity defense. In November 1999, Majors was sentenced to 360 years in prison — 60 for each count of murder. Following a five-week trial in fall 1999, Orville Lynn Majors was found guilty on six counts of murder. This is a special entry because of the defense used, known as the gay panic defense. In many cases when it has been used it has tended to cause public debate. Because of that misconception, we often have people contact us and believe that they can claim the . The insanity crime, he knew he was acting contrary to criminal defense started and was elaborated in Britain law. sue of sanity, an insanity plea is infrequently successful. Most discussions of the insanity defense begin with Daniel M'Naghten's Case, *474 House of Lords, 1843, 10 Cl. The insanity defence as found in section 84 PC is outdated. The media then lampooned the case as the Jenny Jones trial. Review some of the famous Insanity Defense Cases in page 505 of your textbook. Cite this document Summary. What is the Purpose of the Insanity Defense? Insanity defense is probably one of the most controversial of all criminal defense strategies, and at the same time is one of the least used. important only in that when an insanity defense is used in a notorious case (McNaughten, Hinckly, etc.) Insanity v. Defense . Famous Insanity Defense Cases - Essay Example. Four, the accused is not held responsible if with the case of M'Naghten of 1843. Famous Insanity Defense Cases. Vol. The Case: Sandie Craddock took a common malady of women everywhere, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and applied it in a completely uncommon way as her legal defense after stabbing a co-worker to death in 1980. Insanity defense: Six notorious cases when it worked. A Moving Target One thing that may not be apparent to those who read about cases or hear about them on television is that the insanity defense standard is not static. Add to wishlist Delete from wishlist. In 1940, Waller and his wife lived in Gretna, Virginia and worked as sharecroppers for a . -70% of cases, which it is successful, because both prosecution and defense in agreement -less than 1/3 of insanity pleas involve victim death - spend equal or longer time in mental facility if found NGRI Think experts can't agree on person being insane-8-year period, 92% agreed person was schizophrenic. Dec. 31, 2008. Despite the challenges that the defense team faces, there have been numerous high-profile cases that have ended with an acquittal. High profile criminal court cases in which the defendant employed an insanity-based defense include the prosecution of David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, and the criminal charges filed against Dan White, which resulted in the formation of the "Twinkie Defense." The Twinkie Defense was never presented in a criminal court as a literal defense. We are now in the 21st century - about 150 years or so since the rule was fashioned. Simpson verdict is not guilty. Index Topic. The Insanity Defense in Recent Cases. Edwin Alemany, accused of kidnapping, robbing and murdering a young woman in Boston. An insanity defense is based on the theory that most people can choose to follow the law; but a few select persons cannot be held accountable because mental disease or disability deprives them of the ability to make a rational / voluntary choice. There were some older rules of insanity in England. In 1843, McNaughton followed a British civil servant from the Prime Minister's residence and ultimately shot . At trial, the photographer's attorney attempted an insanity defense, which included putting witnesses on the stand who testified that ever since a near-fatal stagecoach accident in 1860 . (Raw) 1995: O.J. In July of . Both men were eventually apprehended, but not before a police officer was slain and a cab driver wounded in the throat. Both cases were tried before a judge, rather than a jury, underscoring the idea that judges might better understand the legal definition of insanity than jurors, he said. The Hinckley Trial and the Insanity Defense. History of the Insanity Defense. Psychiatrists are often called on by the criminal justice system to evaluate a defendant's sanity . His trial, which began about 13 months later, lasted 7 weeks and resulted in an acquittal by reason of insanity. One of the most controversial executions in the history of the United States involved a 25-year-old African-American sharecropper named Odell Waller. One of the central questions in the case of accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes involves whether his attorneys will employ the insanity defense. The prosecution sought and was granted the death penalty as sentencing for 12 of Gacy's murders. In the first part of this paper, the author will provide a brief analysis to some of the most famous insanity defense cases, whilst in the second part - the author will describe in more details the sad case of Andrea Yates, a case . the ensuing public outcry often results in a change in the choice of insanity defense rules (McNaughten, Irresistible Impulse, Durham, ALI, etc.) Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C. 20543, of any typographical or other formal errors, in . He was charged with 13 crimes. The plea of insanity as a defense in criminal cases has a long and fascinating history. Select the case of a famous individual(s), such as Andrea Yates, John Hinckley Jr., Lorena Bobbitt, Jeffrey Dahmer, or the Menendez brothers, who committed horrific crimes and attempted an insanity defense. The insanity defense refers to a defense that a defendant can plead in a criminal trial. In an insanity defense, the defendant admits the action but asserts a lack of culpability based on mental illness. A defendant adjudicated NGRI is technically acquitted of the offense, and the . Discover what criminal insanity is, using landmark cases, law, and defense that define what it means to be . In response, Congress in 1984 shifted the burden of proving insanity to the defense in federal cases, and a majority of states, including New York, followed suit, making it much harder for . 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