Forensic Psychology Plays Part In Attempted Murder Trial In Sioux City

Forensic psychologists will often have to deal with the dark side of humanity

. Its a common theme for those who choose to enter the career. The cases with which you can come into contact can be quite disturbing, but the psychologist needs to make sure that he or she is able to take emotion out of the equation and look only at the evidence and the psychological facts of a case. A recent case that is a good example of this is the attempted murder of Kasandra Smith by Thomas Rausch Jr.

In the Sioux City trial, a psychologist testified that Rausch was incapable of forming a specific intent to kill. The forensic psychologist, Dr. Alan Goldstein, claims that the man acted without fully realizing what is was that he was doing, and that Rauschs judgment was severely impaired. Goldstein was a witness for the defense. Its important to understand a bit about the case so you can see how Goldstein came to his conclusion.

Rausch stabbed Smith at the home they shared, stabbing her seven time. She was pregnant, but the unborn baby was not harmed in the attack. The defense did not deny that Rausch was the one who stabbed Smith. Instead, they argued that he had a mental condition during the time of the stabbing, which prevented him from knowing what it was that he was doing. This was where Goldsteins testimony as a forensic psychologist comes into play.

Dr. Goldstein spent close to 10 hours giving tests to Rausch and interviewing him. In addition, Goldstein spent time interviewing Rauschs parents as well as the victim, Smith. He also looked into health and school records to glean more information about the suspect. What he found was that Rausch had a history of denying traumatic events that happened in his life. He let these things fester within him and when he realized that he was losing his relationship with Smith, the feelings that hed been building up turned into actions. Rausch told the police that he didnt even know that he had stabbed his girlfriend until after the fact. Goldstein said that this was common for those who are in deep denial.

Of course, the prosecution is arguing against this, saying that its impossible to tell intent, and its impossible to determine if a person really doesnt remember the incident. The trial is still underway, and its unknown which way it is going to turn out.

by: Anita Schepers

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