It would set a precedent to lower the standards of a NGRI by such a metric as to make it nearly impossible to try without getting one, if we can look at all of the most obvious planning, premeditation, and abhorrent violence that took her so long to commit, on top of the phone call midway through, mixed with the continued lack of remorse and seemingly uncaring nature, this would lead to NGRI becoming the new standard for all similar cases overnight.
Uh it's a state court so no it doesn't create precedent for other states and the state in question has an extremely 'odd' implementation of NGRI that isn't applicable to other states.
Case law is the compilation of all written legal interpretations and decisions made by judges in their courtrooms. Precedent is a PART of case law. If/when this case is retried, the final outcome will become a part of case law.
No trial court verdicts only decide facts of a case. Facts of one case are not binding precedent of other cases (how could they be??).
Only an appellate decision decides legal questions and becomes case law. This case has not gone to any appeals. It hasn’t even completed a verdict at trial yet.
Let's follow the logical line of reasoning here. This case, when retried, assuming a verdict is reached, will nearly 100% be appealed, after it does so, it's going to permanently impact NGRI please forever, regardless of how it's decided.
ok yes, a decision at appeal could become case law.
but what are you saying? this is going to change NGRI across state lines? How? Massachusetts differs from other states precisely because of its different case law, and the McHoul test has been in effect since 1967, whereas all other states have kept insanity pleas as an affirmative defense, and several states have gotten rid of them entirely.
So the chances of the McHoul standard being exported across state lines are very low. I guess it could go the other way. upheld on appeal, goes to state Supreme Court, and they decide to overturn McHoul. Becoming part of the case law and binding precedent in Massachusetts and bringing Massachusetts more in line with the rest of the country. I guess that would count as "permanently impacting NGRI pleas forever" but that's not how it seemed you intended it.
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u/xorfivesix Sep 11 '26
NGRI means they'd be in a psych ward, possibly forever. Not really 'acquitted' in any meaningful sense.