Overview
- Attorneys Neama Rahmani and Randy Zelin say California’s insanity standard is stringent and rarely persuades jurors, noting defendants must prove they did not understand their actions or right from wrong.
- Prosecutors have charged two counts of first-degree murder with a special allegation of using a knife, exposing the defendant to life without parole or potential capital review if convicted.
- The county medical examiner determined both deaths were due to multiple sharp-force injuries, and the district attorney confirmed a knife was used.
- The defendant is jailed at Twin Towers without bail after a Dec. 17 court appearance in an anti-suicide smock, with a police source telling People he was placed on suicide watch.
- Media reports describe a history of substance use and treatment for schizophrenia and an argument the night before the killings, details experts say could be used to challenge premeditation rather than to establish legal insanity.