Insanity or Murder: The Case of Madison McDonald (Part 1)

This presentation will discuss the capital murder trial of Madison McDonald, a Texas mother who drugged and smothered her two young children and asserted the insanity defense. McDonald immediately confessed and justified the murders based upon her paranoid delusions about a large-scale European sex-trafficking ring. The first part of the presentation will address facts of the case, trial preparation, evidence presentation, expert testimony and arguments by both the State and the defense. The second half will delve further into the legal defense of insanity. Topics covered will include an overview of the similarities and differences between the prevailing legal theories, issues to address in voir dire, burden of proof, procedural considerations, and common defensive strategies for raising and proving insanity at trial.