Defendant: Alex Ashland

Facts:

Alex was in his friend Allison's home in Hartford, CT, drinking straight vodka and doing drugs. Alex told Allison that he has not taken his prescribed mental health medications for two weeks. This did not concern Allison until Alex started talking about the plan that he had to kill his father. Allison knew that without his prescribed medication, Alex could be psychotic. When Allison said that she was going to call the police, Alex pulled a handgun out of his bag and threatened her with it. Allison, who feared for her life, fled from her home with the intention of going to a neighbor's house to call the police. As soon as Allison left, Alex stuffed a rag in the half-empty vodka bottle, lit it, and tossed it on the couch as he left the dwelling. Allison's dwelling went up in flames.

Alex then proceeded to the nearest convenience store, where, brandishing the weapon, he took money and cigarettes. Alex then drove to the home of his father where he broke down the door by kicking it in and shot his father to death.

The local police arrived shortly thereafter to find Alex unconscious on the living room floor. When the police revived Alex, Alex said he had no memory of the last several hours. Local police took Alex to their headquarters in handcuffs where they proceeded to interrogate him. After 10 hours of interrogation, Alex confessed to killing his father. Local police, however, forgot to read Alex his Miranda rights.

This hypothetical was inspired by the crime spree of Allan Ashmoore.https://abc30.com/news/shooting-suspect-talked-about-killing-his-father-da/2567137/

It can always be a challenge to think about how to fashion a defense for someone who seems guilty of the crimes s/he has been accused of. However, it is critical that defense attorneys put aside personal opinions and provide the best defense possible. to apply critical thinking skills to describe possible defenses for Alex Ashland. define and analyze the problem, examine potential defenses and design possible solutions, and select the best two solutions/defenses. Be sure to consider the Connecticut statutes regarding defenses to criminal liability, especially the statute for "lack of capacity due to mental disease or defect" athttps://www.cga.ct.gov/2018/rpt/pdf/2018-R-0073.pdfYou should also look at your reading for the constitutional defenses.