United States v. Riggleman
| Citation | 411 F.2d 1190 |
| Decision Date | 19 June 1969 |
| Docket Number | No. 13031.,13031. |
| Parties | UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Dennis Milton Wilson RIGGLEMAN, Appellant. |
| Court | United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (4th Circuit) |
Robert Allen Sapero, Baltimore, Md. (Court-appointed counsel) on brief for appellant.
Stephen H. Sachs, U. S. Atty., and Clarence E. Goetz, Asst. U. S. Atty., on brief for appellee.
Before BOREMAN, BRYAN and WINTER, Circuit Judges.
By direction of the court this case was submitted on the record and briefs filed by the parties but without oral argument. The defendant was charged in a two-count indictment with bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a) and 2113(f).
The sole question for determination is whether the trial court below erred in permitting Dr. Leonard H. Ainsworth, a clinical psychologist, over objection, to state his opinion on the issue of defendant's sanity and responsibility for his behavior, according to the American Law Institute test for criminal responsibility at the time of the commission of the alleged offense.
Prior to trial a hearing was held before the court at which both the defendant and the Government produced psychiatrists who testified that the defendant was competent to stand trial. No issue with reference to competency to stand trial is raised on appeal.
Dr. Ainsworth was shown to have received a B.A. degree in Psychology in 1949, a Master's degree in 1950, and a Doctorate in Psychology in 1953; and that he had qualified to testify as an expert as to the "legal sanity" of defendants in criminal cases in various states throughout the country, including Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The witness testified that his professional life had been spent primarily in working under the aegis of Dr. Manfred Guttmacher1 who was the Chief Medical Officer of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City; that Dr. Guttmacher was one of the "top forensic or criminal psychiatrists in the country and enjoyed a national reputation in terms of being prominent in his field"; that Dr. Guttmacher had referred to him about ninety-five percent of his private cases dealing with criminal matters and that he (Dr. Ainsworth) had assisted Dr. Guttmacher in the formulation of the American Law Institute test for insanity. Dr. Ainsworth testified concerning certain psychological tests given by him to the defendant and concerning a conference with Dr. Fitzpatrick as to defendant's history as a result of which he reached the conclusion, in...
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U.S. v. Caldwell
...witness had taken his information as far as he could. See generally, Jenkins v. United States, supra note 101; United States v. Riggleman, 411 F.2d 1190, 1191 (4th Cir. 1969). We discuss the need for an adequate factual basis for a psychiatric opinion more fully in Part V, infra.108 Compare......
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State v. Williams
...without opinion, 505 F.2d 731 (3rd Cir. 1974), cert. denied, 420 U.S. 978, 95 S.Ct. 1405, 43 L.Ed.2d 659 (1975); United States v. Riggleman, 411 F.2d 1190, 1191 (4th Cir. 1969); Jenkins v. United States, 113 U.S.App.D.C. 300, 307 F.2d 637, 643-46 (1962); People v. Pennington, 66 Cal.2d 508,......
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Hutchison v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co.
...may testify as to the existence of a brain injury, or at least the condition of the brain in general. United States v. Riggleman, 411 F.2d 1190, 1191 (4th Cir.1969); Jenkins v. United States, 307 F.2d 637, 643-44 (D.C.Cir.1962); Ross v. State, 386 So.2d 1191, 1195 (Fla.1980); Executive Car ......
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Bricker v. State
...States v. Gilliss, 645 F.2d 1269, 1278 (8th Cir.1981); United States v. Portis, 542 F.2d 414, 419 (7th Cir.1976); United States v. Riggleman, 411 F.2d 1190, 1191 (4th Cir.1969); Hidden v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York, 217 F.2d 818, 821 (4th Cir.1954); United States v. Tesfa, 404 F.Supp.......