The following strange and fascinating cases bring a whole new meaning to the phrase “getting away with murder.”
- The Matrix Defense
In July of 2002, Tonda Lynn Ansley of Hamilton, Ohio shot and killed her landlady, claiming that she was part of a scheme to “brainwash and murder” Ansley. Shortly after the incident, Ansley told police, “They commit a lot of crimes in The Matrix.” Her attorney supported an insanity defense by arguing, “Our world is just an illusion generated by our machine overlords.” A jury of her peers found Ansley not guilty by reason of mental defect.
- Homicidal Sleepwalking
On May 23, 1987, Kenneth Parks got out of bed, got in his car, and drove 14 miles to his in-laws’ house, where he fatally stabbed his mother-in-law. After the incident, he got back in his car and drove to the police station to turn himself in, telling officers, “I think I may have killed some people.” Although everyone was skeptical about the sleepwalking defense, results of an EEG confirmed that Parks had abnormal brain activity indicative of extreme parasomnia. These findings combined with a lack of motive led to Parks’ acquittal in 1992.
- The Infamous Lorena Bobbitt
On January 22, 1994, the verdict heard ’round the world declared Lorena Bobbitt not guilty of all criminal charges regarding an incident the previous June wherein she cut off her husband’s penis with a kitchen knife. The jury concluded that Bobbitt was temporarily insane, and she assaulted her husband due to “an irresistible impulse to sexually wound” him after years of domestic abuse.
- The Evil Twin Defense
Twenty-seven-year-old identical twins Sathis Raj and Sabarish Raj narrowly escaped punishment by hanging when a Malaysian court failed to adequately determine which brother was responsible for trafficking 166 kilograms of cannabis into the country. Each brother blamed the other, and even the police couldn’t remember which brother was arrested at the scene. Combining these facts with the uselessness of DNA evidence allowed both brothers to be acquitted of all charges.
Whether your case is off-the-wall or run-of-the-mill, the experienced legal team at Gasper Law Group is prepared to defend you effectively and competently. Please call our team to arrange a private consultation about your criminal charges: (719) 212-2448.
The post 4 Bizarre Criminal Defense Strategies (That Actually Worked!) appeared first on Gasper Law Group.