Commonwealth v. Hathaway
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
500 A.2d 443 (1985)
Relevant factsFree
Hathaway (defendant) shot and killed his estranged wife after a confrontation, and at trial pursued a diminished-capacity defense based on intoxication and mental disturbance rather than disputing that he did the shooting; the trial court excluded a specific question to his psychiatric expert about whether Hathaway could "control his actions," and after conviction Hathaway raised both that exclusion and an ineffective-assistance claim on appeal.
IssueFree
Whether the irresistible impulse insanity defense involves distinct considerations from the diminished capacity insanity defense.