Defense tries to discredit prosecution witness who testified synagogue shooter wasn't driven by mental illness
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Sane or mentally ill — that's the question before jurors in the synagogue shooting trial as they weigh whether Robert Bowers is eligible for the death penalty.
On Tuesday, the defense tried to discredit a prosecution witness. The jury will soon weigh if Bowers is eligible for the death penalty, but for the last several days, it seems the prosecution's chief witness is the one on trial.
Forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz has testified Bowers was not schizophrenic and not driven by mental illness when he murdered 11 innocent victims in October 2018.
Dietz has maintained Bowers is a loner with a personality disorder but not driven by delusions, which he said must be generated by a person's mind. He said Bowers embraced wild conspiracy theories that are "wrong-headed" but widely held by white supremacists with whom he communicated on the internet.
"They may be wrong beliefs. They may be wrong-headed beliefs. But they are not delusions," he said. "Delusions spring from the mind of the afflicted, not the minds of the shared group."
The prosecution called Dietz to the stand to rebut four defense mental health experts whose testimony supports the defense contention that delusional beliefs drove Bowers to commit mass murder.
And over the past three court sessions, defense counsel Michael Burt has poked holes in Dietz's diagnosis, calling attention to Deitz's $800 an hour fees and his controversial testimony in other high-profile cases.
Dietz is a nationally-known expert in criminal psychology and has consulted in the trials of Jeffrey Dahmer, the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr., who Dietz also diagnosed with a personality disorder. Burt said Hinckley has since been diagnosed as schizophrenic.
Burt quoted from Dietz's own book in which he described schizophrenic patients much in the same way he described Bowers — isolated, cold and distant — and produced medical records detailing Bowers had a major depressive disorder and made several adolescent suicide attempts which resulted in him being placed in institutions. Dietz has dismissed many of those reported attempts as attention-seeking and says Bowers is no longer depressed.
"Even if he had a major depressive disorder as a child, he does no longer," Dietz said.
On Wednesday, summations from the prosecution and the defense are expected to be heard, and then the jury will decide if Bowers is eligible.
Recapping the penalty phase of the trial
Last week, Dr. Deitz began is testimony, saying the suspect knowingly and willingly killed those 11 people.
Earlier testimony in the penalty phase has consisted of medical experts being called to the stand surrounding the gunman's diagnoses of epilepsy and schizophrenia, while prosecutors of challenges those diagnoses.
Other testimony has included psychiatric reports, examination notes, and IQ analysis all surrounding the mental state of the accused gunman.
Support is available for those in need during the trial
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health effects from the trial, go to 1027healingpartnership.org to find help resources. As always, call 911 to report threats.
Phone: 412-697-3534
Email: info@1027HealingPartnership.org
Website: 1027healingpartnership.org
More resources can be found here.
