Accused killer enters insanity plea
MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) — A Michigan man accused in a shooting rampage that killed three teenage swimmers at a river on the Wisconsin-Michigan border pleaded insanity to 10 felonies Friday, including new counts that he tried to kill six other teens.
Scott J. Johnson, 38, of Kingsford, Mich., had been charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide. The criminal complaint was amended Thursday to also charge him with six counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and one count of second-degree sexual assault.
With the insanity pleas, Johnson would have to prove to a jury through medical experts that he didn’t know right from wrong in the crimes because he suffered a mental disease or defect and cannot be held responsible for his behavior.
If found insane, he would be sent to a mental hospital until doctors determined he was safe to be released back into society. If found sane and guilty of the charges, he would be sent to prison for life.
Sep 6, 2008 at 10:14 a.m.
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The insanity plea is rarely successfull. Particularly when the defendant isn't grossly psychotic. Odds are good that he's going to lose.
Sep 6, 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
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A case like this is perfect for revealing the corrupt nature of psychiatry-biz and psychology-biz. Each side of this case will have an expert saying totally opposing things about the defendant's mental condition: defense, insane; prosecution, sane. What's wrong with this?!
While it's okay for the lawyers on each side of a case to shape the "truth" to its own advantage (how can it be any other way?), psych-biz gets its sanction and credibility from the claim it's a science based in the scientific method. Ha!!!
Sep 6, 2008 at 9:22 a.m.
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Is it just me or is everyone trying to claim they are insane now days??? I bet he will have an eval and he will be diagnosed with bipolar and maniac depression and he needs all these pills and he never meant to do it. I'm sorry but every person that pulls a trigger knows what they are doing. Maybe not fully but they know they are about to shoot, possibly kill something. And I agree with baer256, if Dohmer wasn't found insane no one else on this planet should be unless they do it worse than him!
Sep 6, 2008 at 9:02 a.m.
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Not guilty by reason of insanity rarely succeeds. He won't win.
Many anti-social acts are insane. But society would crumble if the nature of an act relieved the the wrongdoer of responsibility. To the contrary, the nature of the act is what makes him or her guilty.
Sep 6, 2008 at 1:49 a.m.
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You can't arrest me for selling my neighbors cars!
I'm Crazy with car deals
Sep 5, 2008 at 10:37 p.m.
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If Dohmer didn't win his insanity plea, there is no way this nut job should be able to. Dohmer ate his victims and had sex with their dead bodies! That sounds pretty crazy to me... Hopefully he gets put away with some hardcore thugs who sodomize him until he can't walk.
Sep 5, 2008 at 8:49 p.m.
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Make him go for a swim and shoot at him till one hits
Sep 5, 2008 at 7:11 p.m.
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Maybe he has been on medication since the incident and is now sane, but was insane at the time of the attack. Seriously, what sane person would shoot up a bunch of strangers going for a swim.
Sep 5, 2008 at 5:22 p.m.
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hang'em.
Sep 5, 2008 at 4:44 p.m.
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Honestly, I don't see how you could not be insane doing something like that.
Sep 5, 2008 at 4:38 p.m.
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I can't believe people actually get away with murder by saying they were insane and didn't know right from wrong. That is just such a load of crap.
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ESPECIALLY if you are SAYING the reason why you did it was because you are crazy... that right there should say something... that you knew what you did was wrong and that is why you are trying to get out of it. . .
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