WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a Kansas death penalty case that could have implications for mentally ill defendants across the nation.
The case involves James Kahler. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2009 fatal shootings of his estranged wife, her grandmother and his two teenage daughters. His attorneys argue that he was suffering from depression so severe that he experienced extreme emotional disturbance, dissociating him from reality.
In Kansas, defendants can cite “mental disease or defect” as a partial defense but must prove that they didn’t intend to commit the crime. Other states with similar laws are Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Utah.
Under a traditional insanity defense in the U.S., people must understand the difference between right and wrong to be found guilty.
Photo of James Kahler courtesy of the Kansas Department of Corrections.
