Opinion ID: 2119366
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Mental Capacity Defense

Text: The defendant claims error in the failure of the jury and the trial court to find him not responsible by reason of insanity at the time of the crime or guilty but mentally ill at the time of the crime. [2] With respect to the defense of insanity, the burden of proof is upon the defendant. Ind. Code § 35-41-4-1(b). Because of the jury's verdict of guilt, the defendant is appealing from a negative determination on the issue of insanity. In determining whether a negative finding is contrary to law, this Court neither weighs the evidence nor resolves questions of credibility of witnesses. A decision will be found contrary to law only where the evidence is without conflict and leads to a single conclusion opposite the one reached at trial. Gentry v. State (1984), Ind., 471 N.E.2d 263; Thomas v. State (1981), Ind., 420 N.E.2d 1216. While one psychiatrist testified that in his opinion the defendant was insane at the time of the commission of the crime, two other psychiatrists presented a contrary opinion. Because non-expert testimony concerning a defendant's appearance and conduct may be considered on this issue, Gentry, 471 N.E.2d 263, we note that several witnesses testified regarding their observations of the defendant and his conduct before and after the killing occurred. Furthermore, testimony was received from Carol Wagner whom the defendant told if they charged him with the death penalty he would make them think he was crazy ... [s]o he could get the insanity charge [sic] instead. Record at 565. We find that the evidence presented at trial upon the issue of the defendant's sanity was in conflict and did not lead inalterably to a conclusion that the defendant was not responsible by reason of insanity. The jury's failure to find in favor of the insanity defense was not contrary to law. We also reject defendant's claim that the convictions were defective because of the failure to find the defendant guilty but mentally ill. Such a finding is not a defense to a crime. Truman v. State (1985), Ind., 481 N.E.2d 1089. It is therefore unnecessary for us to evaluate whether the jury's failure to return this verdict was contrary to law.