Stephen Coffeen: 'Red Bull Killer' Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity, Will Receive No Jail Time

WTSP ^

[nickcarraway]

His name is Coffleen? That has to be made up?

[blueunicorn6]

Judge Nancy Moate Ley. Another dumbass judge.

[ninergold3]

It’s the Twinkie defense all over again.

[DannyTN]

If the doctors can prove that Red Bull caused a brain imbalance, then that is something the public should be made aware of.

[DannyTN]

Since the murder and the trial are public knowledge they should redact the medical records and release the part of them that demonstrate the insanity.

[sockmonkey]

Sheesh, I drink about eighty dollars worth of Red Bull a week. Somehow, I’ve managed not to kill anyone. I can’t believe this defense and outcome.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Media reports would have you believe that “energy drinks” contain massive amounts of caffeine. Most don't (and all contain less than a Starbucks Grande coffee). Red Bull has no more caffeine than a small can of Coke. It has about 1/2 as much as an ordinary cup of coffee.

None of the ingredients in Red Bull are capable of causing a psychotic break.

Here's a site with a pretty comprehensive chart of the caffeine content of a wide variety of drinks:

http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

[92nina]

What’s scary is that potential killers may catch on to this result and prepare a defense. Some man wants to kill his wife? Down some cans of Redbull or other energy drink, commit the murder, then claim the drinks drove them ‘insane’ instead of evil.

[hinckley buzzard]

The doctors' reports in the case are medical records and can only be released with Stephen Coffeen's consent.

Florida is one f*ed up state. In any normal venue, independent evaluations for an insanity defense are evidence, not "medical records," are available to both sides, and are a part of the trial record.

By requesting these evaluations, the defendant is the one putting them in the record, and thus waives all claims of confidentiality.

That's in a sane jurisdiction, of which this idiot judge's is obviously not one.

[hinckley buzzard]

The doctors cannot prove any such thing, but they don't have to. The standard of "medical certainty" is 51% certain. That means the doctors concede there is a 49% chance they are full of shit. But they get paid big big bucks for these evals, regardless of how the chips fall in the end.

[Slings and Arrows]

o/~ Oh he's just an Excitable Boy... o/~

[TheOldLady]

If he were my brother, I would take the next six months to sell everything and get myself and my family somewhere that he would never see us again.

[JimSEA]

The money quote: "His attorneys say the killing was a momentary snap and that their client is already mentally well, which is a sign they may ask the judge to release him at his next hearing in December."

tragic

[Slings and Arrows]

There’s a lot going for that plan.

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Always wondered: If subject client momentarily snaps and kills these attorneys after opening the bill for his defense services, is the client considered fully rehabilitated?

[Slings and Arrows]

Insufficient evidence - sic him on a few more lawyers to be sure.

[SIDENET]

An expert has said drinking Red Bull was one of the things that led to the crime.

Yeah, Red Bull does the same thing to me all the time.

Gives me heartburn, too.

[cynwoody]

An expert has said drinking Red Bull was one of the things that led to the crime.

It supposedly makes you want to jump out of airplanes without a chute and jump down Chinese sinkholes with a chute.

[TheOldLady]

OTOH, maybe he’s a good boy who’s just beginning the process of turning his life around...