((HT: KWWL-TV))
On Monday, the defense brought in a psychiatrist from Cleveland, Ohio, who testified that Mark Becker fit the state's definition of insane.
Dr. Phillip Resnick has taken the stand in cases including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber trial, and the Andrea Yates trial.
Resnick testified Becker meets the definition for legal insanity in Iowa, which includes a person not knowing the difference between right and wrong and not knowing the nature and quality of their acts.
Resnick said Becker's psychiatric history of problems and the video tape following Becker's arrest led him to that conclusion. Resnick also said Becker did not believe he was hurting a "person" when he shot Thomas, but was instead saving children by "killing the devil."
"You do not know the nature and quality of your acts, you don't know that you're taking a human life if you believe that you are killing Satan," Resnick said.
During cross examination, the prosecution brought up that immediately following the shooting, Becker called Thomas, "old man," and also used Thomas' name.
The psychiatrist also testified that despite any planning before a crime, or rational decisions made while carrying out the crime, a person may still be acting on irrational thoughts or delusions.
"It's common for jurors to have the idea that if someone is capable of planning a crime, then they could not be legally insane, but that's simply not accurate," Resnick said.
KWWL-TV's Jamie Grey got to stand outside in the cold again today for a live shot...
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