State v. Cooper case brief

State v. Cooper case brief summary
529 P.2d 231 (1974)

CASE SYNOPSIS

Appellant challenged his conviction by a trial court jury (Arizona) for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon on the ground that the trial court refused to submit the issue of insanity to the jury.

CASE FACTS
Appellant challenged his convictions for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon alleging that the trial court erred by refusing to submit the issue of insanity to the jury.

DISCUSSION

• The appellate court affirmed. 
• It held that though experts testified at trial that appellant did not know the nature and quality of his acts and that he did not know he was wrong at the time of the acts charged, the condition of the appellant's mind was caused by drug use and not insanity. 
• It said that defendant's voluntary intoxication was not a defense to crime, but could be used to show lack of specific intent, about which the trial judge properly instructed the jury. 
• The court said that the defendant did not allege an existing state of mental illness brought on by excessive drug use, but rather a temporary episode of mental incapacity caused by the voluntary use of drugs.

CONCLUSION
The court upheld defendant's convictions for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon where it found that the trial court did not err in refusing to submit the issue of insanity to the jury because the condition of appellant's mind was caused by voluntary temporary drug use and not insanity.


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