When is Mental Illness a Defense for a Mass Shooter
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“How can a mass murderer who shoots and kills more than 20 people not be mentally ill?” This is often one of the first questions we all have when thinking about what would drive a person to embrace this level of violence. This is a common train of thought after a mass shooting tragedy, like the ones we just witnessed in El Paso and Dayton and in Gilroy the week before that. The shooter in El Paso was apprehended and if he decides to plead not guilty, the issue of his mental state will likely be at issue. Each state has a specific standard for a defendant invoking an insanity defense, so in this instance we will limit our discussion to Texas state law and federal law as we discuss the ramifications for the El Paso shooter, Patrick Crusius.
When is Mental Illness a Defense for a Mass Shooter
When is Mental Illness a Defense for a Mass…
When is Mental Illness a Defense for a Mass Shooter
“How can a mass murderer who shoots and kills more than 20 people not be mentally ill?” This is often one of the first questions we all have when thinking about what would drive a person to embrace this level of violence. This is a common train of thought after a mass shooting tragedy, like the ones we just witnessed in El Paso and Dayton and in Gilroy the week before that. The shooter in El Paso was apprehended and if he decides to plead not guilty, the issue of his mental state will likely be at issue. Each state has a specific standard for a defendant invoking an insanity defense, so in this instance we will limit our discussion to Texas state law and federal law as we discuss the ramifications for the El Paso shooter, Patrick Crusius.