MycoRant

This story has been floating around the news for weeks now, but things seem to have come to a head. One Joseph Hotz stands accused of murdering his roommate in a rage one night; a rage apparently resulting from a psychedelic delirium induced by eating mushrooms.  The trial entered the deliberation phase late last week after a Dr. Daniel Wilson testified as an expert witness for the defense, which was pursuing not guilty by reason of insanity.

According to Deliberations in murder trial near:

Wilson testified that he reviewed all of the reports and recordings from the events of Dec. 5, 2008, and interviewed Hotz in early May. He offered the opinion that Hotz was suffering from drug-induced psychosis and drug-induced delirium at the time he stabbed his roommate Kenny Pfeiffer, attempted a break-in at the home of Susan Jensen and then walked into the Rolland and Nancy Sayer residence where he threatened Mr. Sayer with two knives and hacked at a bathroom door with those knives. Wilson said the states of psychosis and delirium lasted well into the evening, even as Hotz sat in a police cruiser for two hours.

According to another article by the same author, the judge instructed the jury to not consider the insanity defense, having the opinion that it was not applicable under the law in this case.

This all happened last week although the Chadron News only posted their updates today. Another paper reported yesterday that a verdict was in.

Tags: hallucinogens, magic mushrooms, shrooms