A forensic psychiatrist who assessed Jeremy Christian for the prosecution told jurors Friday that the MAX train stabbings defendant doesn’t have any major mental illnesses and isn’t a psychopath.
Rather, Christian has a way of interacting with the world common to many criminals, said Dr. Alan Newman.
Newman diagnosed Christian with antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by violence, aggression, lack of compassion for others and criminal thinking.
He said Christian also has shown a lack of ability to control his behavior and a tendency to act impulsively. Christian can rapidly become angry or aggressive over “trivial issues,” Newman said.
He testified on the 12th day of Christian’s trial in the stabbing of three men on a train as it pulled up to the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland on May 26, 2017. Friday was the last day of witness testimony. Closing arguments are scheduled Tuesday.
Christian is charged with the first-degree murders of Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky Best, 53, and the first-degree attempted murder of Micah Fletcher, then 21. Christian stabbed all three in the neck. Fletcher was the only one to survive.
Christian’s attorneys have contended that he was acting in self-defense and that he has cognitive deficits -- including autism spectrum disorder -- that make it difficult for him to properly size up social situations and led to his violent response on the train. Earlier this week, a defense-hired psychologist testified that Christian went into “auto pilot” and wasn’t aware of what he was doing when he took out the knife and repeatedly stabbed the men.
Newman criticized the finding that Christian has autism, saying Christian simply doesn’t meet the criteria for such a diagnosis. Among the areas where Christian didn’t have autistic traits: “he was very conversational,” had no trouble communicating his thoughts, developed friendships, didn’t maintain rigid routines and didn’t fixate on things, Newman said.
“He was engaging,” said Newman, who interviewed Christian in person and over the phone. “... He was very courteous with me the entire time.”
Newman said Christian’s polite demeanor seemed to fit with what he understood of Christian -- who might be respectful and cordial with those he thought showed him respect but the opposite to those who offended him.
When asked about the many thousands of comic books that Christian collected and whether that seemed to be a point of fixation, Newman said it didn’t.
“It wasn’t any different than people I would meet at a comic book convention,” Newman said.
In many ways, he said, Christian hasn’t lived a life that follows society’s norms, and that’s typical of people with antisocial personality disorder, Newman said.
Christian last sought employment in 2012 and hasn’t held down a job for many years, he doesn’t have his driver’s license, has never bought a home and hasn’t maintained long-term romantic relationships or been married, Newman noted.
Although many people with the disorder show no remorse for their victims, Newman said, Christian did seem to be “genuine” when he said he felt bad about Best’s children growing up without a father. For his other victims, the psychiatrist said, Christian showed no compassion.
Newman also diagnosed Christian with alcohol use disorder, meaning that Christian drank regularly and it affected his life, putting him or others in danger at times.
But, Newman said, he couldn’t determine if alcohol had a big impact on Christian’s behavior on the train because of the time that passed between the stabbings and when Christian’s blood was drawn for alcohol testing. He noted that video didn’t show Christian staggering and witnesses didn’t remark that they thought he looked drunk.
Defense attorney Greg Scholl was critical of Newman’s findings, which contradicted those of defense-hired psychologists. Scholl asked if Newman had the same credentials and standing, such as whether he’s a neuropsychologist like one of the defense experts or whether he specializes in autism like another defense expert. Newman replied no.
But Newman said he has significant experience.
”I’m a board certified psychiatrist," Newman said. “I’ve treated hundreds of patients with (autism)."
Christian has said he was exercising his free speech on the Green Line train that day. Witnesses said he unleashed a racist and xenophobic rant and then stabbed the men. Namkai-Meche had held up his cellphone, Christian threw the first shoves and Fletcher pushed back. Video appears to show Best had no contact with Christian.
Some witnesses testified that Christian was targeting two teenage girls, one who was wearing a hijab, with a hateful torrent about Christians, Jews and Muslims dying.
-- Aimee Green
o_aimee
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