Was Mr Smith Insane

We the prosecution are here to prove you the jury that Mr. Smith is guilty of the murder of Mr. Jones. Some may say Mr. Smith is insane, but we believe he is completely sane. The legal definition of insanity states, “...a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot manage his/her own affairs, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior…” The word “or” in the definition shows that the defendant does not have to have all of the characteristic of insanity to be diagnosed with insanity. The are many pieces of evidence in this case to prove Mr. Smith is legally sane including, Mr. Smith was able to realize that there was a difference between fantasy and reality, he was able to control how he behaved towards Mr. Jones, and the defendant was able to plan what was going to happen.

To begin with, Mr. Smith was able to realize that there was such things as reality and fantasy. “Yes, I have been ill, very ill. But why do you say

that I have lost control of my mind, why do you say that I am mad? Can you not see that I have full control of my mind? Is it not clear that I am not mad?” The definition of insanity states that in order to be insane you cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, but he kept saying he wasn’t mad. By saying he wasn’t mad, Mr. Smith was able to realize that there was a difference between fantasy and reality.
Furthermore, the defendant was able to control how he behaved while Mr.

Jones was around. “During all of that week I was as friendly to the old man as I could be, and warm, and loving...For seven nights I did this, seven long nights, every night at midnight. Always the eye was closed, so it was impossible for me to do the work. For it was not the old man I felt I had to kill; it was the eye, his Evil Eye...In the quiet night, in the dark silence of the bedroom my anger became fear — for the heart was beating so loudly that I was sure someone must hear. The time had come! I rushed into the room, crying, “Die! Die!” The old man gave a loud cry of fear as I fell upon him and held the bedcovers tightly over his head.” Mr. Smith could control his behavior very well. He was able to control his behavior towards the victim while he planned to kill him. For seven nights the defendant went into Mr. Jones’ bedroom and decided on his own not to kill him. The defendant chose not to kill him until the eighth night, the night that he was

awake.
On top of that Mr. Smith was able to plan what was going to happen. “So I am mad, you say? You should have seen how careful I was to put the body where no one could find it. First I cut off the head, then the arms and the legs. I was careful not to let a single drop of blood fall on the floor. I pulled up three of the boards that formed the floor, and put the pieces of the body there. Then I put the boards down again, carefully, so carefully that no human eye could see that they had been moved.” The legal definition of insanity states, “...cannot manage his own affairs…” meaning that the defendant could not control what was going to happen, but Mr. Smith was able to plan everything from how he was going to hide his plan from Mr. Jones to how he was going to hide the body. Everything happened exactly how Mr. Smith had planned it to.
Throughout this trial we have shown a lot of evidence to prove that Mr. Smith is not insane such as: Mr. Smith was able to realize that there was a difference between fantasy and reality, he was able to control how he behaved towards Mr. Jones, and the defendant was able to plan what was going to happen.. Mr. Jones was murdered by a completely sane person. With the evidence given, we the prosecution believe you the jury should find the defendant guilty of the murder, in the first degree, of Mr. Jones. We the prosecution rest our case.