Objection, Your Honor

2 comments to Objection, Your Honor

• PsiCop

  November 28, 2011 at 10:18 pm

  Sadly, there’s nothing new here. Right here in Connecticut, back in the ’80s, Arne Johnson’s attorneys attempted to plead him not guilty by reason of demonic possession. Fortunately the judge in that case was having none of it; he refused to accept that plea, nor did he permit defense attorneys to even begin mentioning demonic possession during the trial. He was convicted, naturally, since he had no real defense other than that … and in spite of the Warrens’ banging the drums of “possession” in the local media, on his behalf.

  We’re lucky “paranormal” defenses haven’t worked in the US. I suspect that, if it’s used often enough and such a case lands in front of a sympathetic judge and/or jury, it will someday prevail. And that, I assure you, will open the floodgates to many more such defenses.

• Splarnst

  November 29, 2011 at 2:03 am

  This is nothing compared to the famous (to law students anyway) case of Stambovsky v. Ackley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stambovsky_v._Ackley) in which a judge ruled that the defendant was estopped from denying the house was haunted in an action for rescission of sale! At least the judge had fun writing the opinion and made lots of jokes about spirits and references to popular culture.