OCD and the Law – Part 2

Last week we wrote of a case in Scotland in which a man accused and ultimately convicted of possessing child pornography claimed that his crimes were a result of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  This week we examine the case of a Kentucky man whose lawyer claimed that he murdered his wife due to OCD.  Part two of a three part series examining OCD and the law.

In March of 2010, the lawyer for Jerry Seidl of suburban Louisville, Kentucky claimed that his 68 year-old client murdered his wife of 47 years as a result of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  The couple had separated in 2008, and his wife Dorene had moved out of the family home.  On August 7th of that year, after filing for divorce, Dorene sought a protective order on the grounds of domestic violence.  In the petition, Dorene claimed that her husband had previously put a gun to her head, and on a separate occasion had told her “I’m just going to kill myself and get it over with. Do you want to go with me”.  Despite this, the request for a protective order against her husband was rejected by a local judge on August 20th. › Continue reading

Tags: Bart Adams, Dorene Seidl, Douglas Ruth, Health, Jerry Seidl, Legal, Mental Health, Murder, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)