FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Jermard Lewis, the suspect in the case involving the fatal stabbing of Kroger employee Perla Nieto, is pursuing an insanity defense, according to a notice filed by his attorney, Marcia Linsky.
According to our partners in news at 21 Alive, the motion was submitted late last week. In addition to the insanity defense, the motion requests an evaluation by two or three psychiatrists or psychologists to determine Lewis’s competency to stand trial.
Lewis, 31, faces a murder charge in connection to the death of 59-year-old Perla Nieto, who was working as a front-end supervisor at the Waynedale Kroger. The incident occurred earlier this month, with Lewis allegedly admitting to police that he engaged in an argument with Nieto, left, and returned with the sole intent to attack her.
The probable cause affidavit, written by Fort Wayne Police Detective Jeffrey Marsee, reveals that Lewis claimed ignorance about the number of times he stabbed Nieto. Surveillance footage from the store cameras captured the stabbing, and multiple witnesses were present during the horrifying attack.
The defense’s motion not only signals an intention to plead insanity during the trial but also requests an evaluation to assess Lewis’s mental state at the time of the stabbing. Alternatively, Linsky seeks an examination to determine Lewis’s competency to stand trial and assist in his defense throughout the legal proceedings.
If convicted, Jermard Lewis could face a maximum sentence of up to 65 years in prison for the murder of Perla Nieto. The next hearing in this case is scheduled for January 8.
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Not only should Lewis’s mental state be examined, but so should the Defense Attorney’s for requesting “an evaluation to assess Lewis’s mental state at the time of the stabbing”….Buy definition, a person committing Murder is having a Mental Issue, since the act of Murder is not Sane.
Furthermore, aside from obvious Murderous Mental State, any other conclusions made from an evaluation ” at the time of the stabbing” by an Expert (LOL) is a Guess, at best, since a time machine has yet to be invented.
Perhaps, if the Court appoints an Expert to evaluate Lewis’s mental condition for trial, and the Defense doesn’t like it, they could hire their own “Expert” to seek the results that are more favorable…you know, like they did in the George Floyd overdose case.