State v. Turgeon

Christopher Turgeon (defendant), leader of a group called "the Gatekeepers," believed God commanded him and another member, Applin, to kill a former member who had called Turgeon a false prophet; the two drove across state lines, wiped fingerprints from bullets, and interpreted a series of rainbows along the way as divine confirmation. Applin ultimately shot and killed the victim at his home while Turgeon acted as lookout. Both men were tried together and asserted an insanity defense based on a claimed command from God; the jury received a deific-decree insanity instruction and convicted both men, and Turgeon's appeal reached the Washington Supreme Court after the intermediate court affirmed.