Summary

The victim, Mary Lou York, was murdered in York's Grocery Store at Hamburg on June 1, 1979. She died from loss of blood as a result of two stab wounds in her neck. A customer, Patti Franklin, saw her relative Charles Singleton enter York's Grocery at approximately 7:30 p.m. on the day of the crime. Shortly after he entered, Patti heard Mrs. York scream, "Patti go get help, Charles Singleton is killing me." Patti then ran for help. Another witness, Lenora Howard, observed Singleton exit the store and shortly thereafter witnessed Mary Lou, who was "crying and had blood on her," come to the front door. Police Officer Strother was the first to arrive at the scene and found Mary Lou lying in a pool of blood in the rear of the store. The officer testified Mary Lou York told him that Charles Singleton "came in the store, said this is a robbery, grabbed her around the neck, and went to stabbing her." She then told Officer Strother that "there's no way I can be all right, you know I'm not going to make it. I've lost too much blood." Mary Lou was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and was attended by her personal physician, Dr. J. D. Rankin. While en route to the hospital, she told Dr. Rankin several times that she was dying and that Singleton did it. Mary Lou York died before reaching the emergency room of the hospital. Singleton, who was 19 at the time of the murder, was arrested, convicted and began his imprisonment on death row in October 1979. He was executed 24 years later in January 2004.

Lawyers' Positions

The Defense Attorney: "Come on, you can't tell me that just because he is medicated, he's sane! The symptoms aren't obvious but the illness is still there! Take away the medication and he's back complaining that demons in his cell are stealing his thoughts. It's an artificial sanity. The defense lawyer is arguing that mental illness is something within the person. It might be regarded as similar to a medical state such as diabetes that can be controlled, but not cured, by medication. With this view of mental illness, there is a strong implication that society has an obligation to provide treatment. The patient has something wrong with him and cannot be held to regular standards. Punishment is inappropriate." The Prosecutor: If he doesn't have symptoms, he's sane. Get your psychiatrist to check his DSM-IV. If he doesn't have delusions, hallucinations or a thought disorder, he doesn't have schizophrenia. I can get a dozen psychiatrists to tell you that. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th Edition (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association, specifies the symptoms associated with each recognized disorder. While the DSM-IV does not endorse any one model or theory of mental illness. Some argue that the word "symptoms" itself implies a disease. Also, the DSM-IV has ways of taking a history of problem behaviors into account. Consequently, if there are no problem behaviors, no thought disorder or hallucinations, etc., there is no disorder - with or without medication. This is a normal person, and normal consequences should be applied." Postscript In February 2003, the Eighth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled, in a narrow 6-5 decision, that if Singleton was sane while medicated, he could be executed, even if his medication was administered involuntarily. Charles Singleton was subsequently executed on January 6, 2004. Singleton's lawyer coined the term "artificial sanity."

Questions

This case is complex and revolves around the issue of executing a mentally ill convicted murderer. Here is what your analysis needs to contain.

1. List the DSM diagnostic criteria, classification nomenclature and treatment approaches for schizophrenia.

2. Determine, if you can, the etiology (causes) of Charles Singleton's schizophrenia.

3. What types of assessment procedures would you use to determine Singleton's disorder? Identify one specific assessment tool and describe why you chose that.

4. Identify the assumptions about mental illness held by Singleton's lawyer Jeff Rosenzweig and those of the prosecuting attorney, Thomas Deen. Each lawyer appears to believe in a different model of mental illness.

5. Discuss how does each lawyer use his model of mental illness to support his argument about how Singleton should be treated? Support your answer with direct quotes from each lawyer.

6. Which lawyer did you agree with and why? Be through in your opinion and demonstrate critical thinking.

7. Develop an ethical position that answers the question: What shall we do with mentally ill individuals who commit crimes?