thedrifter
11-10-08, 08:08 AM
Veteran accused of murder may have PTSD
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 8, 2008 17:28:30 EST
GREELEY, Colo. — A psychologist testifying in the first-degree murder trial of an Iraq war veteran said the man suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Ricardo Cortez, 25, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of his 21-year-old estranged, pregnant wife, Nikki Fix-Cortez. Prosecutors accuse Cortez of killing her Sept. 16, 2007, with a shotgun because she was leaving him.
Psychologist James Waters, who is in private practice in Boulder, testified Friday that Cortez has post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a number of issues, including being molested by his father and serving as a medic for two tours of duty in Iraq.
The testimony was countered by Jose Vega, a psychologist with the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. Vega interviewed Cortez in September as part of a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
Vega told jurors that some results of tests administered to Cortez indicated that Cortez exaggerated symptoms so much that they should be considered invalid.
Ellie
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 8, 2008 17:28:30 EST
GREELEY, Colo. — A psychologist testifying in the first-degree murder trial of an Iraq war veteran said the man suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Ricardo Cortez, 25, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of his 21-year-old estranged, pregnant wife, Nikki Fix-Cortez. Prosecutors accuse Cortez of killing her Sept. 16, 2007, with a shotgun because she was leaving him.
Psychologist James Waters, who is in private practice in Boulder, testified Friday that Cortez has post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a number of issues, including being molested by his father and serving as a medic for two tours of duty in Iraq.
The testimony was countered by Jose Vega, a psychologist with the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. Vega interviewed Cortez in September as part of a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
Vega told jurors that some results of tests administered to Cortez indicated that Cortez exaggerated symptoms so much that they should be considered invalid.
Ellie