The Killing of Bonnie Garland

Download or read book The Killing of Bonnie Garland written by Willard Gaylin and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1995-09-01 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A powerful and passionate indictment of the use of psychiatric testimony in criminal cases." —The Cleveland Plain Dealer A year after Richard Herrin confessed to killing his girlfriend, Bonnie Garland, he was found not guilty of murder. His crime, he pleaded, was committed "under extreme emotional disturbance," excusing him from maximum responsibility. He was convicted on the reduced charge of manslaughter. In this incisive examination of the murder, the trial, and its aftermath, a distinguished psychiatrist addresses the issue of the insanity defense. He shows how psychiatric testimony can distort court proceedings, and brilliantly analyzes the conflict between the individual rights of the accused and society's right to justice.