State v. Jones

Larry Jones (defendant) was charged with second-degree assault with a firearm. Unusual statements he made prompted a competency evaluation; psychiatrists found him competent to stand trial but also a paranoid schizophrenic who was likely insane when he committed the assault. Over Jones's objection, the state moved to enter a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity (NGI) plea, arguing there was a serious danger of an unjust conviction without it, and the trial court granted the motion. At trial, the jury was instructed on both self-defense and insanity and found Jones not guilty by reason of insanity; he was committed to a mental institution. The court of appeals affirmed, and Jones appealed again.