Prosecutor: Home Invasion Killer 'Chose To Be A Murderer'
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire prosecutor says a 21-year-old man who claims he was insane when he helped kill a mother and injure her daughter "chose to be a murderer and not a madman."
Prosecutor Jeffery Strelzin made the comments during Thursday's opening statements in the insanity trial of 21-year-old Christopher Gribble.
WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson Reports
Gribble has acknowledged his role in the October 2009 attack that killed Kimberly Cates and injured her daughter Jaimie, but he claims he was insane.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports.
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Gribble's attorney told the jury that his client had been diagnosed with personality disorders and sociopathic
characteristics. Attorney Matthew Hill called it "a very grim diagnosis" during his opening statement Thursday in Christopher Gribble's trial.
If Gribble is found insane and dangerous, he would be committed to the secure psychiatric unit of the state prison and his case would be reviewed every five years.
The burden of proof is on the 21-year-old Gribble, whose attorneys must convince jurors he was insane when Kimberly Cates was killed and her daughter severely hurt in a home invasion.
Steven Spader was convicted in November and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the attacks.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
