Bechtel v. State

Donna Lee Bechtel (defendant) endured ongoing, often brutal abuse from her husband, Ken. One night, an intoxicated Ken beat Donna's head against the floor; once she broke free, she grabbed a pistol and shot and killed him. Charged with first-degree murder, Donna sought to introduce expert testimony on battered-woman syndrome to support her self-defense claim. After privately reviewing the proposed testimony, the trial judge excluded it from the jury, reasoning the syndrome lacked acceptance because it wasn't listed in the psychiatric DSM, that the testimony wouldn't help the jury, and that the multi-year gap between the killing and Donna's psychological evaluation suggested she had manufactured the defense. Donna was convicted of first-degree murder and appealed.