Man Who Killed Therapist Was Insane, Doctors Say
Two court-appointed psychiatrists testified Wednesday that a delusion-plagued homeless man was legally insane when he stabbed his therapist to death.
The testimony came in a Santa Monica courtroom during the first day of arguments to determine the sanity of David Scott Smith, 28, who was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder in the Feb. 21, 1989, stabbing of social worker Robbyn Panitch.
If Smith is ruled insane, he will be committed to a state mental hospital. But if he is found to have been sane at the time, and capable of distinguishing right from wrong, he faces 26 years to life in prison.
Dr. William Vicary, one of two court-appointed psychiatrists, described Smith as a “grossly psychotic” schizophrenic who thought he was protecting himself and others from “the Antichrist” when he killed Panitch.
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.
