Hubert D. Thompson Found Insane in Neighbor Murder

by Jordan Yerman | September 11, 2009 at 07:21 am

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Hubert D. Thompson, an NFL hopeful, was found not guilty by reason of insanity yesterday in the murder of James A. Malone, a 66-year-old On March 30, 2207, Hubert D. "Boo Boo" Thompson threw James A. Malone from a third-floor balcony in Lombard, Illinois, after becoming convinced that James Malone was trying to kill him.

Hubert Thompon, who played for Michigan State University, has a history of delusional behavior and was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. However, Hubert Thompson had stopped taking medication during the period leading up to James Malone's murder. He began to see Malone as Satan, and believed that he somehow had to kill him or else he would be punished.

State law requires Thompson's period of detainment to be based on sentencing guidelines for the crime. So, he cannot be held more than 60 years.

So, what does "not guilty by reason of insanity" mean? It's a legal term, and not a psychiatric one: the verdict is not based on the existence of an actual mental illness, but on the presence of a "mental disorder".

The law varies from state to state, but in most courts that recognize the "insanity defense," someone is found to be legally insane if he or she meets one of three conditions:

Because of a mental disorder, the defendant did not understand that what he or she was doing was illegal.

Because of a mental disorder, the defendant did not know what he or she was doing.

Because of a mental disorder, the defendant was compelled to commit the crime by an irresistible force.