Opinion ID: 2640351
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Clinical Psychologist Roberto Flores de Apodaca

Text: Roberto Flores de Apodaca, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, examined defendant four days before he testified. [8] He took a history from defendant and reviewed other documents regarding defendant. Dr. de Apodaca did not believe all of the responses defendant provided during the interview. When Dr. de Apodaca asked defendant about his 211 tattoo, defendant responded that he always said it meant armed robbery but that it actually meant those that lock you up shall pay. Dr. de Apodaca understood this to mean defendant could harbor animosity and vengefulness toward those who incarcerate him. Based on defendant's history, Dr. de Apodaca testified defendant had a disorganized, tumultuous, dysfunctional family background, with a number of losses and breaks in his family relationships, notably with his biological father when defendant was about two years old. Defendant told Dr. de Apodaca that he had smoked marijuana, drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and used methamphetamine during his adolescence. Dr. de Apodaca testified he had reviewed reports in which defendant was referred for treatment for substance abuse and on that basis, made a similar diagnosis. Dr. de Apodaca diagnosed defendant with personality disorder not otherwise specified, with components of dependency, narcissism, and antisocial behavior, and secondarily with being polysubstance dependent. The antisocial features included victimizing and violating the rights of others. Dr. de Apodaca testified that he was not opining that Ly's murder was drug induced. Dr. de Apodaca could not rule [] out or rule [] in that defendant suffered from brain damage. He agreed that such a determination would require a neurological and psychological assessment.