Finally! Delusional beliefs and chronic depressive disorder. Not related. Can that make him insane in a court of law?
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Simring gives two probable diagnosis for MB
- Delusional Disorder
- Persistent Depressive Disorder.
These are comorbid.
Gives DSM V definitions.
Simring specifies that MB had the “persecutory type” of delusional disorder.
Simring explains how it is similar in certain ways to schizophrenia. But describes it as “islands” of delusional thinking. And how MBs delusions fixated on LK, and how he had core beliefs that “LK was going to annihilate him.”
Simring talks about MBs depression issues and life history. Oh wow… just makes me sad. It’s very human. MB has had a remarkable life… but also… very real and human tragedies.
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It sounds like the fact that he couldn’t be talked down/dissuaded was the real sign that this was a delusional disorder not just delusions that a normal person might have from time to time.
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It does seem that MB was excessively fixated on LK, and gave her too much space in his thoughts … but I’m not convinced that his belief that she was trying to destroy him was false.
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Validated by facts that she had made some threats about his reputation and business, some statements of war etc. Reasonable people would be able to be talked down, to see her hot air for what it was and to go about things the slow way realizing she was actually no physical threat in the moment.
The delusional thinking comes in that he felt his LIFE was in danger by LK and could not be talked down. He started seeing her posts for MORE than what they were and could not be rationalized with. He thought he was in imminent danger, he could not wait for the lawyers, he could not wait another minute because he was in fear for his life. That was beyond reasonable thinking.
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“Finish the Ba**ard” is telling, don’t you think?
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Right, a normal person might be extremely concerned about everything, but able to sit down and discuss solutions or make decisions with his people about how to manage it, rather than go down an irretreivable path of despair and hopelessness?
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I get that. But it’s not just posts or texts. She/they installed recording devices, she was caught skulking around in black clothing in the middle of the night, etc. How do you (I’m meaning MB) ignore those actions?
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Agree, and the fact that the police were not helpful to him, being dismissive of the WS fear of RG threat, actually denying him a meeting with their supervisor…
I hope these entities charged to protect and serve are learning from this.
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There was more to it than just the social media posts, though. She did plant recording devices in his business and sneak around after dark dressed in black on his property. While there’s no evidence she’s escalating to physical violence, she did certainly take it beyond just social media blustering.
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This lines up with what Stephen Tarshus (MBs friend and personal attorney) testified to yesterday. About how ST was having a hard time representing MB in the days leading up to the shooting, because MB was so mentally unraveled. And at one point, ST almost quit on MB, because ST didn’t know what else to do.
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I think this goes to self defense. Clearly MB felt his life was in imminent danger.
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Exactly, he went down a path of hopelessness and dispair, rather than being supported and encouraged through discussion with reasonable people.
His life, that of his family, his employees, the safety of his farm and all he had built,…
A Good Life.
A life any of us would aspire to and dream of.
He did all that, even after the abuse he suffered.
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Not by themselves, no.
The key element is if the person was able to understand the difference between right and wrong at the time of the crime. People can be hearing instructions from God in their heads and still understand that murder is wrong. This Dr. is really hammering that MB really felt very much in danger, and possibly fully believed that shooting them was self defense even if he wasn’t in bodily danger and didn’t try to retreat. That may work. But even much worse diagnoses don’t necessarily = legally insane.
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One of the saddest, most unbelievable aspects of this situation is her father knew everything she was saying, posting, doing and did NOTHING. His little girl can do no wrong.
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You don’t ignore them. But you also don’t start thinking that your LIFE is in danger and go and shoot the people.
I’m not excusing the LK/RG behaviour, but it was likely pretty obvious to most that they were unsavory people and needed to leave the farm. They were doing ridiculous and over the top things that teetered on legality, often breaching it. MB needed to go about the organizing to get them to leave.
But the expert is testifying that MB’s mind didn’t handle it this way. He has a history, he has stressors, he began to break from reality and see these threats as physical life threatening threats. Not lifestyle, not business, not stupid games being played by stupid people. But LIFE threats.
I bet if he sat down with PD or Boyd, and discussed rationally what was going on, those dudes would have said, THAT MAJORILY SUCKS. They may have gone so far as offer advice to get rid of the pests… but I’d bet neither of them would have felt that MB’s LIFE was at risk. Because that was delusional.
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I wonder if the way they have plead not guilty by reason of self defense AND insanity might make this particular set of facts work in this particular situation though…
If it was an insanity defense alone… it would very possibly be insufficient. But it’s the combination of the two that MIGHT work?
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She’s in her forties, the time to do anything has long past.
If she has a physiological cause for this … Whatever her diagnosed would be… from a head injury and drug use post accident… Well, again, why hasn’t someone done something to protect her from herself?
And what does it all say about RG?
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