For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 9
Part Two: Borderline
Personality Disorder
Its Use in Mitigation
Elliot L. Atkins, Ed.D. Alison L. Hey, MA,
Michael T. Wiltsey, Ph.D., and Nathan Schenker, Esquire
O
n May 8, 2013, Jodi Arias was convicted of the first degree
murder of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. Her defense team
claimed that Ms. Arias' actions were in self-defense, following
a history of domestic violence. Defense experts had diagnosed Ms. Arias
with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Battered Woman's Syndrome
and, at trial, testified that these disorders explain her behavior. The
prosecutor's expert diagnosed Ms. Arias with Borderline Personality
Disorder (BPD) and opined that the killing had occurred as a result
of the rage she experienced in reaction to her intense fear of being
"abandoned." The jury found Ms. Arias guilty and she was ultimately
sentenced to life in prison.
When preparing for the sentencing phase of a trial, a defense attorney is faced with several questions: Are there extenuating circumstances
for their client's seemingly cold and calculated behavior? If so, how can
he/she communicate this to the finder of fact (who has already convicted
their client)? What are the mitigating factors that can be presented to
counter the aggravating factors? How can he/she present information
sufficiently in order to persuade the finder of fact to fully appreciate the
unique factors that contributed to their convicted client's behavior?
Vol. 1, Issue 3 | For The Defense
9
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016
Contents
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 1
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 2
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - Contents
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 4
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