Zoloft Made Me Do It: Try to Kill Myself and Murder My Girlfriend
Despite the glib title of this ongoing TTWS feature (Blank Made Me Do It), there are some cases that are quite serious and upsetting. The one of Randall Robbins II is that kind of case, if only because it brings up–for the umpteenth time–this issue of those black-box warnings on antidepressants. From the L.A. Times:
Randall Robbins II, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2002 strangulation of 17-year-old Brittany Eurek, argues that both Pfizer and his doctor should have known that Zoloft might have made him attempt suicide and commit murder.He says the drug intensified his agitation, suicidal desires, hysterical behavior and hostility and diminished his self-control.
Those arguments are similar to claims made in a few other cases since 2004, when antidepressants gained new warning labels highlighting the risk of suicidal behavior in people under 18.
In 2007, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Christopher Pittman, who is serving a 30-year sentence for killing his grandparents when he was 12. The court rejected his argument that he was involuntarily intoxicated by taking Zoloft and didn’t know what he was doing when he killed his grandparents and burned down their home in 2001.
A year earlier, the North Dakota Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of a man who killed a 19-year-old woman with a shotgun and later tried to blame the 2003 slaying on the antidepressant drug. Zachary Schmidkunz is serving a 35-year prison term.
What puzzles, somewhat, is the conflicting behavior of Pfizer, though their continuing legal victories do justify it. On the one hand, there is the black-box warning, which specifically concedes that this kind of reaction to the drug is possible. On the other hand, there’s the response to a case like Robbins’:
“Pfizer’s evaluation of Zoloft data never has revealed any signal of an increased risk of violence related to either use or discontinuation of use of Zoloft,” [spokesman Chris] Loder said.
The FDA also says the underlying mental illnesses that antidepressants are used to treat are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions.
So is that tantamount to Pfizer saying they don’t believe their own warning? Robbins, who’s in prison for the murder, is now suing Pfizer for $1 million and serving as his own lawyer. (Isn’t that always a bad idea?) Go here for more.
liz | 10:01 AM | BIG PHARMA, criminal justice system, violence
Mentally Ill Man Pummeled by Cops: WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
Officer seen striking mentally disabled man on video is placed on desk duty
liz | 11:50 AM | SCHIZOPHRENIA, criminal justice system
Mental Illness (Not Ideology) Made Me Do It: Kill the “Abortion Doctor”
Though I’m a died-in-the-wool liberal — and much of the time, radical — I’ve found it hard to believe that Wichita’s Dr. George Tiller was murdered because some right-wing ideologue had been driven into a pro-life frenzy by the likes of Bill O’Reilly. Much as I believe the right is responsible for many ills in our society (unjust war being top of my list), I don’t believe rhetoric can be so inflammatory, that it drives a person to commit murder. The person must be disposed already to commit crime.
Now it appears that Scott Roeder, who’s being held for Tiller’s death, isn’t just your regular guy who got so agitated by pro-life demagoguery that he had to kill. Instead, reports suggest that he struggled with mental illness. From the Telegraph UK:
In a statement released on Monday, Mr Roeder’s family admitted he had “suffered from mental illness at various times in his life” but insisted they had never believed he would kill anyone.
But it emerged that Mr Roeder had a history of extreme hostility and suspicion towards the US government and later allegedly became dedicated to closing what he called Dr Tiller’s “death camp”.
In 1996, a district judge said Mr Roeder presented a “threat of danger to the public” after bomb-making equipment was found in his car along with a military rifle, gas mask and ammunition.
At the time, his father, John, described him as an “obsessed” but loving man who wouldn’t “kill a fly”.
…
In a statement released by Mr Roeder’s family, his brother, David, said: “We know Scott as a kind and loving son, brother and father who suffered from mental illness at various times in his life.”
…
Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist from Iowa, … said he met the suspect once. “He told me about a lot of conspiracy stuff and showed me how to take the magnetic strip out of a five dollar bill,” Mr Leach told the Kansas City Star. “He said it was to keep the government from tracking your money.”
This is not to say that every conspiracy theorist is mentally ill. But there are people with mental illnesses whose issues express themselves this way. I’m thinking particularly of the sad case of Russell Weston, who had governmental obsessions.
Suspect in abortion doctor killing ‘had history of mental illness’
Slaying suspect ‘obsessed’ with Kansas doctor, ex-roommate says
liz | 10:07 AM | criminal justice system, violence
It’s All About Sports Today
Ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz threatened to commit suicide and voluntarily admitted himself—so says FOX Sports.
The background:
Leyritz is free on bail while awaiting trial on DUI manslaughter charges for the late 2007 death of a restaurant waitress Fredia Ann Veitch in a two-car crash that occurred after the former Yankee was celebrating his 44th birthday. Leyritz allegedly had a blood-alcohol content of .14 — well above the legal limit — several hours after the crash, while Veitch had a .18 alcohol level at the time of her death.
…
Davie police then went to Karri Leyritz’s home who told them that Jim Leyritz had blown into the Breathalyzer in an attempt to start his car, but the device indicated he had been drinking, Coyne said.
Karri told cops that Jim had not been drinking. Karri said Leyritz went out to the car a second time, and that when he tried the device that time it indicated he had not been drinking.
That is when Leyritz became upset because he knew the first result would be reported to authorities as a possible violation of his bail conditions, Karri told cops, according to Coyne.
“That caused him to be distraught,” Coyne said.
Karri then told cops that Leyritz said something to the effect that, “He might as well ‘end it’ if it’s too much trouble,” Coyne said.
I gotta say, I’m not feeling deep, deep sorrow for Leyritz right now. It’s hard for me to sympathize given stories like this one. He wasn’t even supposed to be driving, let alone drinking and driving. She was drinking and driving too, so there aren’t any winners here. But sometimes things get really, really simple. Let’s break it down:
If you are drunk, you cannot operate a motor vehicle.
If you are not drunk, you can operate a motor vehicle.
(Unless you’re my mom, in which case alcohol is immaterial. Joking!)
liz | 3:59 PM | criminal justice system, suicide, violence
Power Corrupts, Absofuckinglutely
Employees at a state school in Corpus Christi, Texas, forced mentally disabled residents to spar in late-night fight clubs, telling them if they didn’t, they’d be beaten or forced to go to prison. Below is a news report. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT.
This is the sickest thing I’ve seen in a long time. As someone on ABC News said, I think, the employees are behaving like Michael Vicks with his pit bulls — only these are human beings. It’ll be interesting to see if this incident causes as much furor as the Vick story did. Granted, there’s no celebrity involved, but you know how these things go.
ABC News has a good report on this, and you can link to a Nightline report on it as well.
liz | 10:50 AM | DISABILITY, criminal justice system
Update on Rebecca Riley
Rebecca Riley’s doctor now the target of a grand jury
liz | 10:19 AM | bipolar disorder, criminal justice system, violence
I Feel Sorry for Basically Everybody, But Not This Guy
Philip Markoff Put On Suicide Watch: ABC News
Unless he’s innocent. But I don’t think he is.
liz | 6:05 PM | criminal justice system
Abuse of Mentally Ill Man
I often look on my iPhone at the AP’s Mobile News, which as a section called “Wacky.” Much of the time the stories are about a wild pig who bit a woman’s leg in her backyard, or a moose who made love to a lawn ornament. But yesterday I saw one that blew me away. The mobile version was brief, but here’s the full story:
Judge orders defendant’s mouth taped shut
POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — An eastern Idaho judge who lost patience with the disruptive behavior of a defendant ordered court officials to tape the man’s mouth shut with duct tape during a court hearing. The unusual move was ordered by 6th District Judge Peter D. McDermott during a probation violation hearing for Nicklas Frasure, 23.
Frasure was convicted of felony theft in 2008, but the judge retained jurisdiction for sentencing depending on Frasure’s response to treatment. In October, Frasure was released from a state mental hospital in Blackfoot.
He is accused of violating his probation by not taking prescribed medication.
During the hearing, witnesses told the judge that Frasure’s behavior had been strange and erratic since his release from the state hospital. They also said he has not been taking his medication and has been consuming alcohol, factors also contributing to mood and emotional swings.
Probation officer Julie Guiberson testified that Frasure is a threat to himself and others.
During Monday’s hearing, Frasure interrupted the proceedings with repeated verbal outbursts and unusual behavior and ignored several orders from McDermott to restrain himself. After another series of outbursts, McDermott told bailiffs to silence Frasure.
The bailiffs then found a roll of duct tape, tore off a piece and put it over Frasure’s mouth, according to the Idaho State Journal.
“He’s obviously not mentally competent,” Frasure’s lawyer Kent Reynolds told the judge.
Earlier in the hearing, Reynolds had asked the judge to order a mental competency evaluation for Frasure.
McDermott said he would consider the request, but did not immediately rule on it. McDermott placed Frasure under the jurisdiction of the Idaho Department of Correction. He is being held in the Bannock County Jail awaiting transfer to a state facility.
…
The American Civil Liberties of Idaho refrained, for now, from commenting on McDermott’s decision to silence Frasure.
“The ACLU of Idaho cannot comment on the specifics of this case,” said Monica Hopkins, executive director. “However, on one hand judges have a right to keep order in their court and on the other the defendants have a right to assist in their own defense and be present at trial. Our hope is that judges employ the least restrictive manner of keeping order in their courts.”
Emphases mine. Wacky!
liz | 1:15 PM | criminal justice system
Good Morning America, Et Al: Mental Illness Made Her Do It?
Melissa Huckaby is charged with murdering and raping Sandra Cantu, a little girl in her care. In an interview with Good Morning America, her ex-husband is asked, insistently, about his ex-wife’s mental health. Check out the video of the interview here.
I know it’s valid to ask about her mental state, but the way it’s done in this instance makes me uncomfortable. I notice the Australian coverage of the case doesn’t mention the possibility of mental illness, which is nice, considering she hasn’t even been proven guilty yet.
Perhaps I’m being overly sensitive, but I resent the persistent connection between violence and mental illness that’s played up in the press. I mean, there’s a whole article here about why the insanity plea in this case probably won’t work. It begins:
The fact that the woman charged with killing Sandra Cantu was recently mentally evaluated through the San Joaquin court system raises the question of whether she might use an insanity defense if the case goes to trial.
Emphasis mine, because this kind of speculation is ridiculous! It’s followed up by:
“She might be extraordinarily mentally ill but still legally responsible for the crime,” said Loyola University criminal law professor Laurie Levenson.
Or she might frickin’ not be. WE DON’T KNOW YET. All this article — and coverage like it — does is foster the linkage between mental illness and crime. And the funny thing? Here’s all we know for sure: Her family may have said that she might have been depressed after her divorce.
Eff you, media world. I’m sick of it.
liz | 1:40 PM | criminal justice system, depression, media, stigma
Animal Hoarder Speaks
You often see news stories about the poor wittle kitties who are kept in horrible conditions by some crazy person, but rarely are those people actually given the dignity of an interview. The public cares more about the cats than they do about the human being, who is, BTW, also living in those horrific conditions.
Hoarders have a serious mental disorder, but they lack a voice. KSTP-TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul interviewed two hoarders after they came out of court.
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liz | 11:41 AM | criminal justice system, random
