10-05-2011, 04:27 PM
filed under boo hoo who gives a rat's ass.
NEW HAVEN—
A series of concussions, a history of being sexually abused as a young child and extensive drug use could have affected Joshua Komsarjevsky's mental health and his ability to make decisions and to react to situations, a neuropsychologist from New York University testified Wednesday.
Dr. Leo Shea called those experiences a "perfect storm" in Komisarjevsky's life that affected his cognitive function.
Testifying for the defense in Komisarjevsky's Superior Court trial in the deadly Cheshire home invasion case, Shea said Komisarjevsky suffered five concussions between the ages of 9 and 17. One concussion occurred in a car crash; others happened when he hit a soccer goalpost and in a snowboarding accident, Shea said.
Shea said he relied on Komisarjevsky's childhood medical records, a battery of tests he conducted on him and interviews with him.
During Shea's discussion of Komisarjevsky's results on a series of cognitive tests, some jurors appeared inattentive and restless. But Shea's testimony about the sexual abuse Komisarjevsky allegedly suffered as a young boy seemed to grab their attention.
Shea testified to a hushed courtoom that Komisarjevsky was anally and orally raped between the ages of 4 and 6 and that he had been tortured by being burned.
Shea also testified about Komisarjevsky's significant drug use over an 18- to 24-month period, including the use of crytal methamphetamine and marijuana.
All of those experiences could have affected certain parts of Komisarjevsky's brain, Shea said. The effects include irritability, an inability to make decisions, problems socially and the lack of ability to think of the needs of other people.
Shea also found that Komisarjevsky was a poor speller, a slow reader and weak in math and that he has trouble concentrating, yet is a good talker and has good verbal comprehension. Another test found that Komisarjevsky is a risk taker.
During this testimony, Komisarjevsky seemed more impassive than he has in the earlier days of his trial.
NEW HAVEN—
A series of concussions, a history of being sexually abused as a young child and extensive drug use could have affected Joshua Komsarjevsky's mental health and his ability to make decisions and to react to situations, a neuropsychologist from New York University testified Wednesday.
Dr. Leo Shea called those experiences a "perfect storm" in Komisarjevsky's life that affected his cognitive function.
Testifying for the defense in Komisarjevsky's Superior Court trial in the deadly Cheshire home invasion case, Shea said Komisarjevsky suffered five concussions between the ages of 9 and 17. One concussion occurred in a car crash; others happened when he hit a soccer goalpost and in a snowboarding accident, Shea said.
Shea said he relied on Komisarjevsky's childhood medical records, a battery of tests he conducted on him and interviews with him.
During Shea's discussion of Komisarjevsky's results on a series of cognitive tests, some jurors appeared inattentive and restless. But Shea's testimony about the sexual abuse Komisarjevsky allegedly suffered as a young boy seemed to grab their attention.
Shea testified to a hushed courtoom that Komisarjevsky was anally and orally raped between the ages of 4 and 6 and that he had been tortured by being burned.
Shea also testified about Komisarjevsky's significant drug use over an 18- to 24-month period, including the use of crytal methamphetamine and marijuana.
All of those experiences could have affected certain parts of Komisarjevsky's brain, Shea said. The effects include irritability, an inability to make decisions, problems socially and the lack of ability to think of the needs of other people.
Shea also found that Komisarjevsky was a poor speller, a slow reader and weak in math and that he has trouble concentrating, yet is a good talker and has good verbal comprehension. Another test found that Komisarjevsky is a risk taker.
During this testimony, Komisarjevsky seemed more impassive than he has in the earlier days of his trial.