The Nation - News from Sept. 6, 1989
Evangelist Jim Bakker suffered stress and not mental illness when he collapsed Thursday, his wife said. “After 2 1/2 years of sheer mental torture, he was just stressed out,” Tammy Faye Bakker said in a taped statement telecast on the Jim and Tammy Show. Meanwhile, Bakker’s lawyers filed a motion seeking a mistrial on grounds that the collapse of a witness during defense cross-examination last week in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, N.C., prejudiced the jury. The U.S. Marshal’s Office said a hearing would be held today to determine if Bakker is competent to stand trial on fraud and conspiracy charges.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.