Law Commons^™

This chapter of Criminal Law Stories (Weisberg & Coker, eds. 2010) tells the story of Clark v. Arizona, the case of a schizophrenic teenager convicted of murdering a police officer under the belief that the officer was a hostile space alien. This chapter discusses the significance of the Clark case within the historical context of the insanity defense, especially in light of the reforms that occurred across the country after John Hinckley, Jr.’s acquittal in 1982. It also examines the interplay between insanity and other legal doctrines of criminal responsibility that were implicated at Eric Clark’s trial, including mens rea, …