Man will claim temporary insanity in murder case based on lack of salt in diet Continue reading on Examiner.com: Man will claim temporary insanity in murder case based on lack of salt in diet

With his murder trial to begin June 21, a Roseville man's attorney has announced that his client's principal defense will be temporary insanity caused by low sodium in his bloodstream, aggravated by a trumatic head injury he suffered at age 12 in an auto accident that killed his father.
Charles Forensi, 38, is accused of stabbing his 62-year-old mother to 43 times, killing her, because she refused to give him money to buy drugs. The incident occurred last August 10 in the home they shared in Roseville.
While the prosecutor has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant has the burden of proving insanity. In this case, the defense will say Forensi suffered from chronic Hyponatremia, the lack of salt in the blood surrounding the cells.

Insanity, especially temporary insanity, has never been an easy sell in Michigan, and is even tougher since the legislature intruduced the Guilty But Mentally Ill verdict (GMI).
Forensi is on trial for murder 1. Either a straight guilty verdict or a GMI verdict will result in his incarceration without parole. The GMI verdict differs only that it provides for psychiatrict treatment in prison.
But if Forensi can prove legal insanity, he will be remanded to a psyciatric facility until it is deemed that he is no longer dangerous.
By Robert Brignall taken from http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-detroit/man-will-claim-temporary-insanity-murder-case-based-on-lack-of-salt-diet