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comment by tacocat
tacocat  ·  3418 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: [Live Stream] Verdict for Colorado movie theater shooter: Guilty

Insanity is such a weird legal defense when you think about it. You have to have doctors determine if someone knows right from wrong based on mental illness. The entire defense is based on arguing that doctors can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they know what someone was thinking. The different degrees of murder are at least based on empirical evidence. Insanity isn't even a medical word, it's wholly legal, and I don't think that's common knowledge.

I'm just bullshitting here. Obviously some people are totally detached from reality but that's a pretty weak legal defense.