As somebody who attended school with Mr. Davis for 6 years, and thus "knows" him as much as anybody did (which is saying exactly nothing, since he never, ever spoke to anybody...), and as as local lawye who has followed this case thoroughlyr, I'd say the mental illness issue needs to be explored. It seems evident that something is profoundly disturbing with his behavior, and there is evidence to support the contention that Davis had a mental disease.
I don't know how a lawyer convinces his client that he may be mentally ill when the client's own mental illness may lead him to categorically reject the notion (which seems to be the case here), but in my opinion Davis' lawyer shouldn't have thrown in the towel and recommended a plea bargain, even if that is what Davis (or others) may have wanted. It is a difficult position to be in , and it will be interesting to see what develops.
I would note that Davis' affect seemed very flat yet his perception quite clear when he gave a 10 minute interview to the TV media within days after the shooting while he was awaiting his first court appearence. Unless somebody can convince a jury that those statements were also evidence of mental illness - despite the fact that they were significantly removed in time from the actual shooting -- I think an insanity defense will be difficult to prove, but then again the judge sentenced him to 17 years, which is several years beyond what a child rapist was sentenced to within 2-3 weeks after Davis plead guilty this past summer.
I suppose if I were going to be 60 when I got out of jail, I may want to explore my insanity defense, too. Food for thought.
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