Opinion ID: 2610480
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Psychiatrist's Testimony.

Text: Defense counsel stated that he intended to ask Dr. Cheatham a hypothetical question based upon facts in evidence, which the doctor would be asked to assume for the purpose of the question. Succinctly stated, those facts were as follows: defendant was 29 years old, of Eskimo and Caucasian extraction, and had been born and reared and received a sixth grade education in the small village of Eek, Alaska. His wife was a girl of the same age who had grown up in the same village. They married and had five children. Defendant had a history of sleep walking as a child. On several occasions during the year prior to his wife's death, defendant had consumed large amounts of alcohol and had become quite drunk. When he would get drunk, he would stay that way for a period of one day to a week. On one occasion he and his wife got drunk together, and when they became sober they discovered that defendant had been severely beaten about the head and that his wife had been beaten also. On December 22, 1960, defendant proceeded to become intoxicated. Between then and until about midnight of December 25 he drank from one-half to two quarts of whiskey each day, and while in a drunken condition apparently killed his wife by severely beating her about the head and body. When defendant recovered conscious control of himself on December 26, he was in a disoriented state, having no memory or comprehension of what had happened during the preceding four days. Based upon these facts Dr. Cheatham was asked if he had an opinion as to whether defendant would be suffering from a mental disease or derangement. The state objected, the jury was excused, and further testimony of this witness was given out of the presence of the jury. The doctor then testified that there was insufficient data for him to suggest that defendant was suffering from a state of pathological intoxication [1] . He gave his opinion that defendant was suffering from an acute brain syndrome of a toxic nature, which he defined as That means that it is  the cause of this condition is alcohol  consumed in sufficient quantity to have a toxic effect on the brain. The doctor also gave his opinion that at the time defendant killed his wife he was deprived of his capacity to distinguish right from wrong; that his capacity to formulate an intent to commit a wrongful act or to premeditate was severely impaired, if not entirely absent; and that he was unable to exercise purposeful control over his actions or behavior. In answer to a question from the trial judge, the doctor said that his testimony would be substantially the same even if defendant had not had a previous history of drinking. After this offer of proof, the judge ruled that he would not permit the jury to hear Dr. Cheatham's testimony as to defendant's mental state, and that the issue of insanity would not go to the jury. The judge was correct in his ruling. We said in Chase v. State: the law is intended to exculpate from accountability for actions only those who suffer from a major mental disorder or disease  those who, because of some mental derangement, are lacking in reason or understanding or realization. [2] A state of mind created by voluntary intoxication, such as that indicated by evidence of defendant's conduct, is not a major mental disorder or disease or mental derangement which amounts to legal insanity. The majority of courts have drawn a distinction between (1) the mental effect of intoxication, which is the immediate result of a particular alcoholic bout; and (2) an alcoholic psychosis [3] , such as delirium tremens, resulting from long continued habits of excessive drinking. The former does not amount to legal insanity, whereas the latter may. [4] We adopt this majority view, which is in harmony with a long established legislative policy that voluntary intoxication is no defense to a crime, except insofar as the jury may take it into account in determining purpose, motive or intent. [5] In the hypothetical question posed to Dr. Cheatham, there were facts showing that defendant had been in a state of voluntary intoxication when he brutally assaulted and killed his wife. There were no facts showing a long continued habit of excessive drinking, such as might have resulted in an alcoholic psychosis. The doctor said there was insufficient data to suggest to him that defendant was suffering from a state of pathological intoxication, and the doctor did not appear to attach any particular significance to the fact that during the preceding year defendant had occasionally gone on drunken bouts. Since there were no facts in the hypothetical question which could give rise to the defense of legal insanity, the trial judge was correct in refusing to permit Dr. Cheatham to answer the question and give the jury his opinion as to whether defendant had been suffering from a mental disease or derangement during his period of intoxication.