Two government experts testified in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday that convicted cop killer Ronell Wilson has anti-social personality disorder and may have suffered from learning disabilities, but is not mentally retarded.
One of the experts, forensic psychologist Robert Denney, said Wilson's IQ scores were consistently above the retardation benchmark of 70, and his score of over 90 on the non-verbal section of a test Denney gave last year virtually ruled it out.
"People with intellectual disability do not put their performance scores up in the average range," Denney told U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. "It simply doesn't happen."
Wilson, 30, was convicted of the 2003 murder of undercover NYPD officers James Nemorin of Baldwin Harbor and Rodney Andrews of Middle Village, but an appeals court ordered a retrial of the jury's finding that he should be executed.
He is now trying to block the death penalty based on a Supreme Court ruling barring execution of the retarded. Last week, defense lawyers called a half-dozen experts to support the claim that Wilson was mildly retarded.
Raymond Patterson, another expert, said Wilson had been "articulate" in a jailhouse interview; told the psychiatrist that he read and memorized quotes; and was able to articulate the meaning of abstract concepts like "a rolling stone gathers no moss."
He said Wilson had suffered from behavioral problems, including defiance of authority, opposition to rules and attention deficit disorder, but was able to make choices.
"He's in a situation now that's reflective of those choices," Patterson said.
Copyright 2012 - Newsday
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
