By Katherine Ramsland
(Continued)
Another expert, psychiatrist Monte S. Buchsbaum, had also hoped to prove that Braunstein was unable to make a clear-headed choice, but his approach failed to undermine the possibility of planning. He had subjected the defendant to a PET scan and used diagrams to demonstrate that his brain was defective in a way consistent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, the scan had occurred six months after the incident and the psychiatrist had to admit that a brain scan was not sufficient for diagnosing a mental illness. In fact, he had not looked at Braunstein's past psychiatric records or tested his ability to plan. Thus, while he could show the differences between Braunstein's brain and a normal brain, he was unable to prove anything about the defendant's mental state at the time of the offense.
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| Brain Scan |
The trial is expected to run another week or two, but the substance of the case has been presented: Braunstein purchased what he needed to commit the act, he did commit the act, and he seemed to have planned it as well as to have fled to avoid being caught.
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