A New York Family Lawyer said that on the night of 16 October 1985 police officers responded to a telephone call for emergency assistance made by the victim Mrs. A. When they entered Mrs. A’s apartment, they found Mrs. A and her husband, the defendant. Mrs. A, although conscious and alert, had been stabbed repeatedly and was bleeding heavily. The defendant, while not himself, lay unconscious upon the couple’s bed, wounded and covered with blood. Open prescription bottles were found in the kitchen. The windows to the apartment had been shut and the gas jets in the kitchen turned on. Mrs. A was taken to the hospital where she died of her wounds the following day. The defendant was also hospitalized, and although he remained comatose for more than two days he was eventually revived and was charged with his wife’s murder.
The defendant admits to inflicting injuries upon his wife but claims to have acted while his capacity for self-control was overborne by extreme emotional disturbance. In support of this contention, the defendant at his non-jury trial called two witnesses, his psychiatrist, Dr. A, who last saw him in treatment some nine days before the incident, and Dr. B, a court-appointed forensic psychiatrist.
A New York Child Custody Lawyer said the Dr. A testified that the defendant and his wife first visited her office on July 1983. Defendant complained of depression, withdrawal and inability to work, difficulty sleeping and nightmares. Dr. A finds defendant paranoid and persecutory. She prescribed sleep medications for both defendant and his wife. On early January 1984, Dr. A elicited from defendant that he was hyperactive and dyslexic as a child. He had a hard time keeping a job as an adult. Dr. A prescribed him anti-depressants. At the end of the same month, the defendant was observed to be all nervous and all afraid of a nervous breakdown. He picked and ate his hand. He was given Sinequan. On May of the same year, defendant claims that everyone was avoiding him and that he had nightmares at night so he was prescribed with increased dosage of sleep medication. On January 1985, Dr. A observed defendant to be acutely depressed and very anxious and panicky. Dr. A then prescribed tranquilizer, Atarax and sleep medication. On September, 1985, defendant was trembling and seemed to be deteriorating. He was very anxious and panicky and showed signs of panic paranoia and manifested his contemplations of suicide. On the 29th of September, his condition worsened and was afraid that he will kill himself. It was at this time when Dr. A learned that in his early adulthood he got hospitalized at a Psychiatric Center for one and a half years. Dr. A at this point diagnosed him with schizophrenia and prescribed Haldol, a drug for psychosis. On his October 9 visit, defendant was extremely anxious and he was “eating his hands all bloody”. Haldol medication was then increased. On their visit on October 4, he recounts a nightmare involving the Queen of Iran and her best friend where she was slicing her back all bloody. Mrs. A at this point was very worried of a breakdown so Haldol prescription was increased yet again. On October 7, days before the fateful event, defendant improved in that even if he was still biting his hand, he was no longer trembling and was more subdued.