Judge orders psych test for shooting spree suspect

Raulie Wayne Casteel, who police say is responsible for 24 shootings in communities along the I-96 corridor, will undergo psychological testing -- despite objections from his defense counsel, a district judge ruled last week.

[ray]

I predict he's fit to stand trial.

[Pete]

This does seem strange that the defense would object to a competency hearing. Generally, the defense would like as many ways to avoid conviction as possible. There must be another angle. Maybe the defense wanted different professionals to do the testing. Or perhaps they wanted to delay so they could point back to now and say it was temporary insanity. "Sure he's OK now, but then he was insane."

[justice]

That would have been a lot of temporary insanity instances.this guy's goose is cooked!

[Pete]

justice wrote:

That would have been a lot of temporary insanity instances.this guy's goose is cooked!

The actual number is inconsequential. The prosecution must prove "mens rea"(guilty mind) in each case. Lawyers specialize in just this area and sometimes do wonders for the defense. This case seems rather cut and dried. Raulie doesn't have the resources for a big gun.

[justice]

This temporary insanity defense actually worked in 1977. Francine Hughes used it for setting fire to ex husbands bed while he slept. The burning bed movie portrayed this ladies years of physical and mental abuse in dansville Mich. it was successful. she was acquitted of murder around November 1977. After that domestic violence law came into existence.