ABSTRACT
This teenager lived in an intact home in an urban area, in a neighborhood in which he lived his entire life, with relatives living close by to him and his family of four. Because of the early onset of thought disordered problems in combination with an intellectual disability (ID), formerly referred to as “mental retardation,” this young adolescent was well known to his school and community. His behavior was dysregulated, volatile and unpredictable and he appeared angry and threatening for years. In some ways, it came as no surprise to those who knew him that he committed this homicide while under the influence of a combination of mind-altering substances, which he reported as heroin and alcohol use. He did not deny the homicidal act and instead, rigidly adhered to a defense of protecting his friend, whom he perceived the decedent intended to harm, and himself.
