More at the link, cba copypasting all.
Patrick Crusius showed symptoms of mental illness beginning in childhood, culminating in a “psychotic event” that led him to kill 23 people and wound 22 others in a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, his defense attorney told El Paso Matters.
“We had found out that virtually from birth, there’s been documentation of his mental illness. He had a twin sister (and) it was very clear that he did not develop as quickly as she did, with his ability to speak, with his ability to walk, with his ability to crawl, his ability to communicate,” defense attorney Joe Spencer said in an interview Tuesday, the day District Attorney James Montoya announced he wouldn’t seek the death penalty in the mass killing.
“We also have both of his parents that have a history of mental illness and have been on antipsychotic medication for over 40 years,” Spencer said.
He said defense lawyers raised mental health issues to block attempts to put Crusius to death, not to excuse his violent actions.
“Certainly, the mental health issues he has is not an excuse for his conduct, but it is part of his life that he grew up with and part of his family, who also suffers from mental illness. That is a contributing factor to the horrific carnage that Patrick caused,” Spencer said
Long-standing mental health issues preceded Walmart mass shooting, defense attorney says
A defense lawyer for Patrick Crusius talks about his mental health history, online radicalization, purchase of a semiautomatic rifle, and his deadly attack on El Paso.
elpasomatters.org
Patrick Crusius showed symptoms of mental illness beginning in childhood, culminating in a “psychotic event” that led him to kill 23 people and wound 22 others in a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, his defense attorney told El Paso Matters.
“We had found out that virtually from birth, there’s been documentation of his mental illness. He had a twin sister (and) it was very clear that he did not develop as quickly as she did, with his ability to speak, with his ability to walk, with his ability to crawl, his ability to communicate,” defense attorney Joe Spencer said in an interview Tuesday, the day District Attorney James Montoya announced he wouldn’t seek the death penalty in the mass killing.
“We also have both of his parents that have a history of mental illness and have been on antipsychotic medication for over 40 years,” Spencer said.
He said defense lawyers raised mental health issues to block attempts to put Crusius to death, not to excuse his violent actions.
“Certainly, the mental health issues he has is not an excuse for his conduct, but it is part of his life that he grew up with and part of his family, who also suffers from mental illness. That is a contributing factor to the horrific carnage that Patrick caused,” Spencer said
