Man found insane in 2016 hatchet attack on Chinese student
A judge has found a man not guilty by reason of insanity in a hatchet attack against a high school exchange student from China.
mental health
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ABA releases report on improving lawyer well-being
In an effort to reverse a trend toward increasing mental health and addiction issues among legal professionals, several national lawyer well-being groups have partnered together to release a new report, which offers recommendations for both preventing and treating lapses in attorneys’ mental health.
Probation revocation affirmed for man convicted of raping 92-year-old woman
An Indiana trial court was not required to hold a competency hearing before revoking a man’s probation on a rape conviction because the man did not request such a hearing and did not prove that his mental illness was so severe as to relieve him of criminal responsibility for violating his probation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
7th Circuit orders hearing on competency, assistance of counsel
A federal court erred in denying a hearing for a man who claimed he was mentally incompetent to plead guilty to a firearm charge and received ineffective assistance of counsel.
COA: Trial courts can waive right to be at commitment hearing
State statute allows trial courts to waive respondents’ right to be present at their mental health commitment hearings, though the use of such statute should be limited only to cases where the evidence shows respondents’ presence would be injurious to their mental health, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday in a precedent-setting case.
Fresh cases setting precedents in mental health law
Under what circumstances may someone be excluded from a hearing to determine whether they should be committed for mental health treatment? The Indiana Court of Appeals grappled with that question during oral arguments June 28, just one day after another panel ruled on another matter of first impression regarding involuntary commitment — the court itself noting scarce caselaw.
Insanity defense planned for Indiana mom in fatal stabbings
An insanity defense is planned for a central Indiana woman who admitted fatally stabbing her young son and daughter.
Indiana mother sentenced to 130 years for killing children
A judge has ordered an Indiana woman who admitted to fatally smothering her two children to undergo mental health treatment before going to prison under a 130-year sentence.
‘Taken aback’ by Eskenazi’s bid for fees, COA rules for committed man
A divided Indiana Court of Appeals struck a special condition that a man who had been subject to a mental health order of commitment not use alcohol or drugs. The court also criticized the hospital for seeking legal fees in the case from the Marion County Public Defender Agency.
Woman pleads guilty, mentally ill, of killing her 2 children
An Indiana woman pleaded guilty Thursday to smothering her two children last fall after abducting them from their custodial grandparents’ home.
Evaluations of man accused of eating girlfriend sought soon
A southern Indiana prosecutor says he expects to soon see mental competency evaluations of a man accused of killing his former girlfriend and eating parts of her body.
Indiana officer plans insanity defense in hit-and-run crash
Court records show a suspended Lake County, Indiana, sheriff's officer charged in a hit-and-run crash after last year's Gary Air Show plans an insanity defense.
Judge sets June hearing for woman accused of killing 2 kids
A northern Indiana judge has set a June hearing on whether a woman accused of killing her two children is fit to stand trial.
Man who spat in woman’s face loses appeal
The Indiana Court of Appeals has confirmed a battery conviction against a man who spat in a woman’s face after finding that minor discrepancies in the charging information and evidence at trial did not undermine the case.
COA affirms neglect conviction against man with intellectual disability
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the felony neglect conviction of a Wayne County man with a mild intellectual disability, finding that the state presented sufficient evidence to prove that he knowingly neglected his child leading to the boy’s death, and that the testimony of two medical experts was proper.
COA orders new attempted murder trial
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial in a Greene County attempted murder case after finding the trial court incorrectly applied the standard of a “knowing” mens rea, rather than a “specific intent to kill.”
City sues drugmaker for letting OxyContin flood black market
As deaths from painkillers and heroin abuse spiked and street crimes increased, the mayor of Everett, Washington, took major steps to tackle the opioid epidemic devastating this working-class city north of Seattle. He sued the maker of OxyContin.
Western Indiana police get training on handling mentally ill
Police officers in Terre Haute are among those taking a weeklong Crisis Intervention Training Program organized by local and state organizations to build stronger relationships between law enforcement, mental health agencies and the local chapter of National Association of Mental Illness.
Man accused of eating girlfriend to get mental evaluations
A southern Indiana man accused of killing his former girlfriend and eating parts of her body in 2014 will undergo psychiatric evaluations, despite his insistence that he's competent for trial.
Lawyer: Experts say man who beheaded son ready for release
A lawyer in Virginia Beach, Virginia said experts believe her client is ready to be released from a Virginia psychiatric hospital where he was sent after decapitating his 5-year-old son and saying he was trying to save the boy from the Antichrist.