Page 8 - Will Carpenter News Today

>> this hour john hinckley jr. pleads not guilty on charges he tried to kill president reagan and both his lawyer and his fwraeed he is competent to stand trial. >> the issue of sanity became paramount to the teams assigned to prosecute and defend john hinckley. >> facing a judge for the first time hinckley stood while the clerk read the 13 count indictment. among the spectators were hinckleys parents. they watched intently as the clerk asked their son how do you plead? in a clear, loud voice, t...

Interesting person, but not interesting at the same time. >> there didnt seem to be much there. you could not form a rapport with him. he seemed to have little expression of emotion. >> dr. will carpenter, a research psychiatrist at the university of maryland was hired to give an expert opinion in hinckleys defense. >> i believe that i spent about 44 hours evaluating him. most of that would have been in interviews with him. he was self centered, but he was not narcissistic, he was kind of like a...

>> the prosecution argued that hinckley had carefully planned the attack. >> the fact that he was able to travel, the fact that he did look at the schedule, put that type of effort into planning this type of event, thats premeditated activity. >> the defense countered with dr. will carpenters testimony on schizophrenia. >> in general with illnesses like schizophrenia, people can do most things in life in an ordinary way. so they are not conspicuously crazy. they dont go into mcdonalds and order ...

He seemed to have little expression of emotion. >> dr. will carpenter, a research psychiatrist at the university of maryland was hired to give an expert opinion in hinckleys defense. >> i believe that i spent about 44 hours evaluating him. most of that would have been in interviews with him. he was self-centered, but he wasnt narcissistic. it was more like kind of a loner who doesnt have much else going on, and then went to grandiose ideas, including delusional ideas. >> he made up a whole girlf...