Psychiatrists and psychologists may disagree about whether Jett McBride was insane at the time of the crime. But McBride himself weighed in on the matter today, and his opinion may surprise you.
Jett McBride knows he's a troubled soul. After talking to several mental health professionals, the 55-year-old says he realized why he's always been troubled.
"It's my estimation that I have a mental disorder and I need help, so… I don't think that my mental disorder caused what happened that day, but you know," McBride said.
He expressed the opinion to a judge, but not the jury that found him guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for driving his car into a PG&E crew last February.
The crash left Rayshawn Neely in a wheelchair. And despite his revelation, McBride is moving forward with the fight to prove he was insane at the time of the crime. Two psychiatrists who've reviewed his case agree.
"I came up with a diagnosis called brief psychotic disorder in remission.," said Dr. Luis Velosa.
Velosa says McBride had delusions about the Super Bowl, thought he forced Hillary Clinton to quit as Secretary of State, and even made Pope Benedict XVI leave the papacy.
He told the doctor he picked up Kai the hitchhiker because he was feeling strange and thought he'd be safer with someone in the car. McBride told Kai he thought he was Jesus.
"At the time of the alleged offense, there are all kinds of issues were happening that led to a total psychotic meltdown so to speak," Dr. Velosa said.
But prosecutors, and their psychologist, say McBride was not at all insane. They say any strange behavior was fueled by drugs or alcohol.
"It says a temporary medical condition caused by the recent use of drugs or intoxicants is not legal insanity," said prosecutor Becky Gong, referring to the legal definition of insanity.
The sanity trial is expected to take only three days, wrapping up next week.
After that, McBride will either got to prison for about nine years, or he'll head to a state mental hospital.
