Report: Accused killer of Randolph teen had mental defect:
Instead of going for an insanity defense the attorney for accused killer Jonathan Zarate is now going for a diminished capacity defense. Here’s the difference…
A defendant deemed to be insane at the time of a crime in New Jersey cannot be held criminally responsible. A person found guilty of committing a murder, but found to have diminished capacity, or a mental defect or impairment, is merely convicted of a lesser offense than murder.
For those of you new to the site then 18-year-old Jonathan Zarate killed his 16-year-old neighbor Jennifer Parks, dismembered her body, then hid her body for 24 hours, and then tried to dump her body into the Passaic River.
Basically, this kind of defense admits guilt but tries to get a reduced sentence other than a murder sentence.
The prosecution, however, subscribes to the common sense theory…
Office Executive Assistant Prosecutor Robert Lane said the report will be reviewed over the next week to see if the office wants to hire its own expert. But Lane told Judge Salem Vincent Ahto that Jonathan Zarate’s mind appeared clear when he scrubbed up the crime scene, cut off the girl’s legs to cram her body into a steamer trunk and tried to toss the trunk over a bridge into the Passaic River.
The only mental defect Zarate has is that he’s a raving psychopath.
The judge wants the trial to start on April 17th but Zarate’s attorney, Anthony Fusco, said he won’t be ready. How much more time does he need? It’s been almost 3 years since Jennifer Parks’ death. Get on with it already. Doesn’t the victim’s family have the right to a speedy trial too?
Nod to Keb.
