Weakened by withdrawal
2005-11-16 10:37
Butler - A murder suspect trying to get his confession thrown out was likely suffering nicotine and caffeine withdrawal when he told police he accidentally stabbed his estranged wife seven times, a prison psychiatrist testified.
Denny Winner is charged with killing Lynette Winner in November 2004 when she refused his demands for sex, then setting fire to her apartment 13 days later in an attempt to cover up the slaying. He told police he accidentally stabbed her seven times when she pulled a knife on him, investigators have said.
Winner, who said he drank 10 to 16 cups of coffee and smoked two to three packs of cigarettes daily, had only one caffeinated beverage and one cigarette during 14 hours of police questioning before confessing, Dr Grace McGorrian, a Butler County prison psychiatrist, testified on Monday.
He was in a weakened mental and physical state from withdrawal, and that affected his ability to understand his rights, McGorrian said.
Winner's defence attorney, Joe Kecskemethy, wants the confession tossed out, claiming it was coerced. He also claims Winner did not understand his right to have an attorney with him during questioning.
The prosecutor suggested Winner was intentionally trying to minimise his involvement in the killing when he spoke to police. Winner was "taking advantage of the opportunity to give his spin of what he did", prosecutor Jerry Cassady said.
- AP