Word: hinckleys
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...FIND the defendant, John W. Hinckley, not guilty by reason of insanity...
When a Washington, D.C., jury decided this summer that the man who had attempted to assassinate a President could not sufficiently distinguish right from wrong to be held legally accountable for his actions, most of us were shocked. While we may have known for some months in advance that Hinckley might "get off because of insanity," those bold-face headlines heralding the verdict nevertheless knotted our sense of justice deep inside. Since then, journalists, political cartoonists, legal experts, laymen and legislators have launched a barrage of criticism against the insanity plea in criminal proceedings. Many are frustrated to the point...
Psychologists suggest that the killer is a "borderline" personality, someone who can function nearly normally in the day-to-day world. Like John Hinckley, who was also described as "borderline," the Tylenol killer can appear outwardly conventional. He may undergo transient psychosis intermixed with healthy intervals. Herbert Quay, professor of psychology at the University of Miami, notes chillingly: "My guess is that there are people around the killer right now who think he or she is odd, but not a threat to their lives...
...experience of the Hinckley jurors may have been welcome to some and unwelcome to others. But it was not unique. Citizens chosen to serve in major trials these days may be well advised to pack some Pan-Cake makeup along with their toothbrushes, for much of the global village is likely to be looking in. A Massachusetts lawyer tells the story of some women who were upset when an extended court session forced them to miss hairdresser appointments they had scheduled because of the TV coverage. Jurors judging Convict Author Jack Henry Abbott received hate calls after announcing their verdict...
Jurors sometimes have their own reasons for talking. Money is one. When journalists declined to pay a fee to one Hinckley juror, her husband complained, "Why should she spend her time so you can make money on her? What's in it for her?" Another motivation for telling their stories is to fight back. When the judge in the Stouffer's Inn case threw out the jury's conviction, the next day's newspapers were filled with disgruntled reactions from jurors defending their verdict...