This case has been cited 2 times or more.
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2004-03-17 |
DAVIDE JR., C.J. |
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| claims that he is not guilty because he is insane. The testimony or proof of an accused's insanity must, however, relate to the time immediately preceding or coetaneous with the commission of the offense with which he is charged.[30] It is, therefore, incumbent upon accused's counsel to prove that his client was not in his right mind or was under the influence of a sudden attack of insanity immediately before or at the time he executed the act attributed to him.[31] Since insanity is a condition of the mind, it is not susceptible of the usual means of proof. As no man can know what is going on in the mind of another, the state or condition of a person's mind can only be measured and judged by his behavior.[32] Thus, | |||||
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2000-04-27 |
BELLOSILLO, J. |
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| It could be that accused-appellant was insane at the time he was examined at the center. But, in all probability, such insanity was contracted during the period of his detention pending trial. He was without contact with friends and relatives most of the time. He was troubled by his conscience, the realization of the gravity of the offenses and the thought of a bleak future for him. The confluence of these circumstances may have conspired to disrupt his mental equilibrium. But, it must be stressed, that an inquiry into the mental state of accused-appellant should relate to the period immediately before or at the precise moment of doing the act which is the subject of the inquiry,[18] and his mental condition after that crucial period or during the trial is inconsequential for purposes of determining his criminal liability. In fine, this Court needs more concrete evidence on the mental condition of the person alleged to be insane at the time of the perpetration of the crimes in order that the exempting circumstance of insanity may be appreciated in his favor. Accused-appellant miserably failed to discharge the burden of overcoming the presumption that he committed the crimes freely, knowingly and intelligently. | |||||