Opinion ID: 2509517
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Testimony and Rulings

Text: At trial, defendant moved in limine to exclude Dr. Hatcher's testimony on the ground that evidence relating to mental illness was mitigating character evidence and thus could not be introduced by the prosecution in its case-in-chief and that the prejudicial effect of that evidence outweighed its probative value. After extensive argument, the trial court ruled that Dr. Hatcher's testimony would be admissible on the nature of the things that are involved in the crime.
Dr. Hatcher, a clinical psychologist, specializes in crimes involving the abduction of children. He has interviewed many persons who have committed such crimes, has conducted research on the subject, and is familiar with other studies. Dr. Hatcher testified that people who commit crimes such as those involved here  the murder of a child accompanied by sexual abuse  go through a developmental process beginning with a fantasy at puberty of being sexually aroused by an image of someone tied up, restrained, or tortured. Over time, the fantasy becomes more serious and more detailed. Although some individuals can resist the impulse to carry out the fantasy, those that go forward still have a sense of right and wrong. They are able to plan, and they can defer acting until they get the right victim. The drive and the need to realize the fantasy overcomes any consideration of what might happen to the victim. According to Dr. Hatcher, the perpetrator will gather instruments of restraint, such as handcuffs. During the crime, the victim is usually restrained and gagged. Unlike ordinary child molesters, sadistic pedophiles are not satisfied with mere sexual contact, but are sexually aroused by the suffering and the discomfort of the child. Sodomy, strangulation, and disfigurement are common characteristics of this kind of crime. Dr. Hatcher reviewed various exhibits found in defendant's apartment, including two newspaper articles about a notorious child molestation case in which the defendants were acquitted, and another article about a father who set fire to his young son. He also noted a highlighted list of names found in defendant's residence, photographs of young children also found in defendant's residence, and the rope and duct tape found in defendant's car. He concluded that all of these were consistent with the typical fantasy of persons who commit crimes such as the crime here. Finally, with respect to the crime here, Dr. Hatcher found a degree of planning, foresight, the development of a period of preparation over a substantial period of time, the focusing of a particular type of fantasy ... regardless of the effect upon others. [5]