This week's feature story tells the gruesome tale of convicted killer Thomas Espinoza's brutal murder of his neighbor, and his subsequent efforts to escape justice by claiming he was insane. Here are several brief excerpts from his taped confession. When you're done with those, have a look at this slideshow that briefly recaps the history of the insanity defense.
In this first clip, Espinoza claims he's had mental problems for years. The cops ask him what set him off and get no good answer.
In this second clip, Espinoza is asked about hitting his victim and dragging her into his apartment, and speaks of his experiences at Denver General.
In this final clip, Espinoza speaks of knowing he needed help, and about the 1978 fire he points to as the cause of his mental illness.
The victim of this crime was my sister. Her name was Stacy and she should be turning 34 tomorrow but Thomas stole her from this earth. Thomas is a monster who expressed no remorse during the trial. Thankfully, he was sentenced to 2 life terms w/o possibility of parole. What angers me is that it took FOUR YEARS to get to trial. I do want to commend the detectives, ADA and the victim's advocate office for all their help and support. They were great and really cared about Stacy and the brutality of this crime. I pray all families of victims can get that kind of help and support.
Posted at: June 9, 2008 1:27 PM