Doctor backs up insanity defense

By Matt Pordum

Tuesday, March 8, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.

A forensic psychiatrist testified Monday that a man accused of killing his pregnant sister and grandparents suffers from schizophrenia and meets the legal standards required for a not guilty by reason of insanity defense.

Dr. Gregory Brown said he was able to reach that conclusion based on his own interview with Dante Pattison, those of three other doctors, Pattison's past social history and Pattison's history of substance abuse.

Pattison could be sentenced to death if he is found guilty of the murders of his sister, 32-year-old Carrie Adric-Pattison, who was seven months' pregnant, and their grandparents, Yoshio Kato, 82, and Sally Kato, 75, at the Katos' home.

He is also charged with manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon for the death of Adric-Pattison's unborn child.

His defense attorneys have told the jury Pattison's behavior and symptoms are consistent with rapid onset schizophrenia.

Called to the witness stand by the defense, Brown testified that Pattison's change in behavior in the year leading up to the night of the killings was consistent with that of someone encountering their first psychotic episode from schizophrenia. The doctor said Pattison told Brown he believed he was the Emperor of Japan and was receiving personal messages from God over the radio and television.

Brown said initially Pattison believed he was on a mission from God, which resulted in Pattison baptizing himself in toilets and a hotel pool.

Brown said Pattison told him he heard voices telling him to kill his mother and if he didn't "they would kill him." The doctor said on the night of the killings, Pattison believed his sister, grandparents and aunt were assassins who wanted to kill him.

Brown said there was no evidence Pattison was lying about his symptoms based on his observations and a 500-question psychological test that specifically screens out those who might be faking.

He said for schizophrenia to be considered a viable diagnosis, symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganization and others must be in place for at least six months.

Deputy District Attorney Giancarlo Pesci challenged Brown's beliefs about Pattison's symptoms, saying the only person with evidence suggesting Pattison heard voices, or believed he was the Emperor of Japan, or that his family members were assassins trying to kill him was Pattison himself.

Brown admitted he knew of no one else other than Pattision who had told him of the symptoms.

A 911 call Pattison made after baptizing himself in the Harbor Island pool a day before the killings, however, does appear to support part of the story about Pattison's state of mind.

In the call, Pattison told the 911 operator "someone died in the pool and was born again." He went on in rambling speech to tell the operator "God sent me here" that he's been "sent on a mission" and he doesn't have a home.

When the operator asked if he's been drinking or on drugs Pattison said, "No. I'm sober."

Under the continued questioning of Pesci, however, the question of whether the use of methamphetamine could result in such behavior was raised.

Brown said drug-induced psychosis is something he witnesses regularly in his work, but the symptoms usually last between 24 to 48 hours or for however long the drug is in an individual's system.

Although Pattison was never drug tested after the killings, he did admit to Brown he used methamphetamine at least once a week.

Pesci insinuated that Pattison used methamphetamine the day of the killings because the coroner detected the drug in his sister's system during her autopsy. Pesci reasoned since the drug remains in a user's body between two to six hours and Pattison spent most of the day with her, it's possible Pattison used the drug with his sister.

Brown would not speculate on whether Pattison did or didn't use methamphetamine on the day of the killings. Brown said methamphetamine abuse could lead to paranoia and agreed with Pesci's assertion that aggressive, violent behavior including homicide is consistent with those who abuse methamphetamine.

Brown said while he couldn't rule out the possibility there was a drug-induced psychosis in Pattison's past, based on his evaluation Pattison has a permanent mental illness.