Judge rejects insanity defense in attempted murder

Avery Latham, 24, sat wide-eyed with his mouth open as a judge rejected his insanity defense in a brutal attempted murder more than a year ago.

Police arrested Latham after he choked a woman unconscious at an East Central home in 2014. He then put her in a recycling bin, slit her throat and dumped her body blocks away.

Judge Maryann Moreno delivered her verdict Thursday following a bench trial that concluded April 21. Prosecutors charged Latham with two counts of attempted murder, as well as assault and kidnapping. Moreno found him guilty on all four counts.

The woman, Katelyn DeRico, testified at trial that Latham was a stranger to her. He came into her bedroom at a house where she lived with other friends. The two were talking and Latham began touching her thigh. When she pushed his hand away and said she wanted to go upstairs, he began choking her until she passed out. She woke up the next morning bleeding in the yard of a nearby vacant home.

Latham cut less than an eighth of an inch away from DeRico’s carotid artery and jugular vein, prosecutor Dale Nagy testified at trial.

Following the verdict, DeRico said she agrees with Moreno’s verdict and believes Latham is a danger to other women. But mostly, she’s looking forward to moving on with her life.

“I’m at peace about it,” she said. “I hope he gets the help he needs.”

Latham’s attorney, Kevin Griffin, did not dispute Latham’s actions, but argued he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity because he had schizophrenia and was experiencing overpowering auditory hallucinations from a demon named Quin. The defense called a clinical psychiatrist as an expert witness to testify about schizophrenia.

In delivering her verdict, Moreno said she was more persuaded by Dr. William Grant, a forensic psychiatrist who works at Eastern State Hospital and was called as a witness by the state. Grant testified he believed Latham was malingering, or faking illness, based on the fact that he had no prior history of mental heath treatment and did not exhibit disordered thinking.

Grant also testified Latham was able to call Quin to appear on command during a psychiatric interview, something he would be unable to do if were truly experiencing psychosis.

Moreno said an insanity defense indicates a defendant has a “total loss of contact with reality.” Under state law, defense attorneys claiming insanity must be able to prove their clients did not understand right from wrong and were not aware of the nature and quality of their actions.

She said she was persuaded by Grant’s testimony, as well as the fact Latham initially lied to detectives and tried to conceal his actions by hiding DeRico and cleaning his knife.

“All of these things indicate to me that he knew what he was doing was wrong,” she said.

Latham’s sentencing is scheduled for June 24.