The Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law
Chapter 11: Excuse Me!
Excuse pg 15: Delusions
Douglas killed Tina, no question.
He intended to kill her, or at least cause her severe physical injury.
Under his state’s law, he had the necessary mens rea and committed the necessary actus reus to be charged with murder.
Even so, we’re not going to punish him for it.
Douglas is excused, because in his condition he couldn’t have known that he was killing Tina.
The State explaining
THE STATE
Remember, we only want to punish people who deserve it. Someone who didn’t know what he was doing may need treatment, but punishment would serve no purpose.