LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Doctors took the stand Thursday in the Ian Anselmo murder trial.
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Mental health experts confirmed that the 20-year-old boy had stopped taking his medication and was experiencing withdrawal symptoms when he strangled and killed his stepmother, Sue Ellen Anselmo, in 2019.
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This is part of how the defense constructs a claim of innocence by reason of insanity.
Dr. Sanders testified that it was very likely that Anselmo was having a psychotic episode at the time because he had not taken his ADHD or anxiety medication for several days.
“(Because of his illness) he didn’t know if what he was doing was right or wrong,” Dr. Saunders said.
After the testimony, state prosecutors countered by showing courtroom body camera footage of Anselmo after he was arrested at the Eustis Police Department. He lost consciousness and officers tried to calm him down and control his breathing.
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Anselmo put his face in his palms and cried in the courtroom as jurors looked on.
The video continues showing the moment he got into the ambulance. Afterwards, Anselmo is expected to be able to calmly and clearly answer the medic’s questions, including his date of birth, age, social security number and address.
This can be seen as the state’s way of trying to prove he knew what he was doing that day after he admitted to strangling his stepmother.
Closing arguments begin Friday morning at 8:30 p.m. For the latest details, watch Channel 9 on TV and online.
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