Defenses to Persuade the Jury

There have been many defenses used to try to persuade the jury to a verdict of not guilty. They include: gay panic defense, urban psychosis, battered woman, sleepwalking, and postpartum. The validity of these defenses is not always very great and the application is not always very wise. The gay panic defense was used in the trial of Matthew Sheppard. One of his alleged murderers said that after Matthew Sheppard sexually advanced him, it brought …

…they are doing and cannot control themselves. Postpartum is a unacceptable defense. There might be a chemical imbalance triggered in the mother that causes depression, however that does not excuse the mother from killing someone if she still knows the difference between right and wrong, which she does. Thus, when the mother is drowning the baby, even though it is caused by chemical imbalance and depression, is still murder because intent and act are present.