Anyone who watched the Jodi Arias trial, or who recalls the Menendez Trial, knows that defense attorneys in violent crimes cases are not limited to just one defense. In fact, in many violent crimes cases involving accusations of aggravated assault, murder or even domestic violence charges, the defense may rely on multiple strategies throughout the course of the proceeding. Violent crimes cases are rarely simple.
A 24-year old known as “Kai” is being extradited to from Philadelphia to New Jersey to face murder charges for the alleged killing of a New Jersey attorney. According to prosecutors, the two men met in early May in New York. The attorney allegedly invited the 24-year-old back to his New Jersey home. The body of the attorney was discovered three days after the alleged murder when his relatives requested that police check on the victim.
The allegations against alleged killer conflict with the public image he acquired after supposedly coming to the rescue of a California utility worked attacked by a trucker last February. Police, however, have pointed to a concerning Facebook post written by Kai shortly after the alleged incident with the attorney. The young man apparent wrote that he had woken up in a strange house where he had been raped the night before.
In an interview with the New Jersey Star-Ledger, the parents of the young man said that their son suffers from mood disorders and spent years in hospitals and treatment homes. If it is the case that the 24-year-old has a history of mental illness he may be a good candidate for an insanity defense. The police are required to follow specific rules in putting together a case against a criminal defendant, and anyone facing the serious consequences of a murder charge should do everything possible to ensure that his or her rights are protected.
Source: La Times, “Famed hitchhiker ‘Kai’ heading to N.J. on murder charge,” Tina Susman, May 28, 2013
