Opinion ID: 867356
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Mental health problems

Text: ¶ 38 This Court generally gives little mitigating weight to evidence of an undiagnosed mental illness. See State v. Murdaugh, 209 Ariz. 19, 35 ¶ 82, 97 P.3d 844, 860 (2004). This is especially true when the defendant fails to establish that the mental illness caused the crime or inhibited his ability to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or conform his conduct to the law. Pandeli II, 215 Ariz. at 533 ¶ 81, 161 P.3d at 576. ¶ 39 McCray did not offer expert testimony that he suffered from any mental illness. Instead, McCray's step-mother testified that he behaved unusually as a child, had trouble at school, and had undergone a brain scan indicating damage in the areas of comprehension and coordination. She said McCray had received no medical treatment as a child for this condition. One of his step-sisters said that he had occasional blackout spells, when he forgot things that had happened the same day or appeared not to register what people were saying. Another step-sister said that she believed he was diagnosed with a seizure disorder. No tests or diagnostic results were introduced at trial. ¶ 40 His step-mother said McCray also often acted unusually when he was older. She said she was almost sure he was on drugs at the time of one incident, although one of her daughters said neither she nor her mother had ever seen him use drugs. A Phoenix police officer also said McCray acted bizarrely while in the county hospital and police custody four days before the murder, even though no drugs were found in his system and no tests were run for alcohol. On rebuttal at the penalty phase, a detective testified that McCray had said he had used drugs during that general time period. ¶ 41 We conclude that McCray's evidence of an undiagnosed mental illness is entitled to little mitigating weight.