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Araujo Trial Hears "Panic" Testimony
The panic defense has drawn severe criticism from Araujo's family. They say the teen did not attempt to deceive anyone but was living as the person she believed herself to be.
Araujo Trial Hears 'Panic' Testimony
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 25, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET
(Hayward, California) A psychologist testified Monday that the three men on trial for the killing of transgendered teen Gwen Araujo panicked when they discovered she was biologically male.
The defense is claiming a variation on the "gay panic" defense, shifting the blame from the defendants to the victim. While the technique has had only limited success in winning acquittals in gay homicides, attorneys for the three men hope to convince a jury their clients so "revulsed and shocked" they killed Araujo out of panic.
If they are successful the jury could find the accused guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
Attorney Michael Thorman called psychologist Andrew Pojman to testify. Pojman said that people with the kind of maturity the defendants had would "go into a panic," on finding Araujo was biologically male.
"It would flip them out," he said.
Pojman told the court that the men's actions were fueled by drugs and alcohol resulting in a rapid increase in anxiety and then anger, with one feeding the other.
"Sort of a perfect storm?" Thorman asked.
"Yes, that's a good way to phrase it," Pojman replied.
Michael Magidson, 23, Jose Merel, 24, and Jason Cazares, also 24, are charged with killing the teen in October 2002. They are also charged with a hate crime. Earlier this month the judge refused to drop that charge. (story)
Araujo was beaten, battered with a shovel and then strangled to death. Her body was found in a shallow grave several days later.
A fourth man, Jaron Nabors, has already pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for testimony against his three friends.
In his testimony, earlier in the trial, Nabors testified that Magidson and Merel both had sexual encounters with the 17 year old Araujo. (story)
The panic defense has drawn severe criticism from Araujo's family. They say the teen did not attempt to deceive anyone but was living as the person she believed herself to be.
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 25, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET
(Hayward, California) A psychologist testified Monday that the three men on trial for the killing of transgendered teen Gwen Araujo panicked when they discovered she was biologically male.
The defense is claiming a variation on the "gay panic" defense, shifting the blame from the defendants to the victim. While the technique has had only limited success in winning acquittals in gay homicides, attorneys for the three men hope to convince a jury their clients so "revulsed and shocked" they killed Araujo out of panic.
If they are successful the jury could find the accused guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
Attorney Michael Thorman called psychologist Andrew Pojman to testify. Pojman said that people with the kind of maturity the defendants had would "go into a panic," on finding Araujo was biologically male.
"It would flip them out," he said.
Pojman told the court that the men's actions were fueled by drugs and alcohol resulting in a rapid increase in anxiety and then anger, with one feeding the other.
"Sort of a perfect storm?" Thorman asked.
"Yes, that's a good way to phrase it," Pojman replied.
Michael Magidson, 23, Jose Merel, 24, and Jason Cazares, also 24, are charged with killing the teen in October 2002. They are also charged with a hate crime. Earlier this month the judge refused to drop that charge. (story)
Araujo was beaten, battered with a shovel and then strangled to death. Her body was found in a shallow grave several days later.
A fourth man, Jaron Nabors, has already pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for testimony against his three friends.
In his testimony, earlier in the trial, Nabors testified that Magidson and Merel both had sexual encounters with the 17 year old Araujo. (story)
The panic defense has drawn severe criticism from Araujo's family. They say the teen did not attempt to deceive anyone but was living as the person she believed herself to be.
For more information:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/05/052504a...
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Information is your best entertainment value
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.adolescentsummit.com/andy.htm
Andy Pojman, EdD
Andrew Pojman is a school psychologist in private practice at Oasis Center in Walnut Creek. He has extensive experience working with children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities and neurological disorders. Dr. Pojman was the Chief of Psychology at Gladman Psychiatric Hospital for three years as well as the Coordinator of the ADHD Program at Oak Grove Adolescent Treatment Center. He is a faculty member at JFK University and the Wright Institute teaching courses in assessment, psychopathology and child/adolescent treatment. In addition to doing individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and psychological testing, Dr. Pojman also consults with various agencies including The Center for Living Skills.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.cocopsych.org/secretary.html
Andy Pojman, Ph.D.
President Elect, Secretary
Psychological Practice: 1844 San Miguel Drive, #311, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-944-1800
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.ncgps.org/county_lists.php
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://users.mm2k.net/~remer/Troops.html
http://www.troop202bsa.org/
Troop 202
Jim Burell, Scoutmaster
Andrew Pojman, Chairman
Sponsored by St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Meets Tuesday at St. Pauls Church
Webpage: Troop 202
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.sterlingmagic.com/guest.html
Sent an email regarding status of linking safety pins trick
Andrew Pojman <picchipojman [at] worldnet.att.net>
Walnut Creek, CA USA - Wednesday, June 17, 1998 at 10:17:56 (PDT)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.wrightinst.edu/fa/m_p.html
Andrew Pojman, Ed.D.
B.A. Biology and Secondary Education, Adams State College, 1972
M.A. General Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 1975
Ed.D. School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 1977
Dr. Pojman is a psychodynamically oriented clinician with training and experience with a wide variety of patients in different clinical situations. Following his graduation, Dr. Pojman worked for three years as a school psychologist. He worked with handicapped children and adolescents with disabilities including mental retardation, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and psychotic disorders. Leaving the school district, Dr. Pojman entered into private practice and began consulting at local private schools and agencies. His experience at the Raskob Institute, a private facility serving learning-disabled adults and children, sharpened his diagnostic and clinical skills in evaluating the learning-disabled and neurologically handicapped. These work experiences have developed Dr. Pojman's skills in individual and group treatment and assessment of children and adolescents.
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Pojman has also maintained active professional involvement with psychiatric hospitals. This experience has included caring for both adolescent and adult patients in conjunction with a psychiatrist and providing inpatient care to adolescents as the admitting clinician. He was the Chief of Psychology at Gladman Psychiatric Hospital for three years. Duties involved proctoring individual psycholgists and serving as a liaison for psychologists to the medical staff and administration. Dr. Pojman went on to become the Coordinator of the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Program at Oak Grove Adolescent Treatment Center, where he developed a treatment program to provide specialized inpatient services for ADHD adolescents and their families. Currently he is active at Walnut Creek Hospital.
These experiences have helped form Dr. Pojman's clinical interests in the diagnosis and assessment of psychopathology, the treatment of children and adolescents, family therapy, and group therapy. Teaching and consulting to various agencies has allowed Dr. Pojman to develop and expand these interests even more. At the Wright Institute, Dr. Pojman teaches assessment. He also teaches courses in ADHD, adolescent treatment, and the diagnosis and assessment of psychopathology at John F. Kennedy University. He consults at WestCoast Children's Center on clinical issues related to group therapy with children and adolescents. He is also the clinical consultant to the Center for Living Skills, a private agency that provides specialized workshops on interpersonal development to schools and industry.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.adolescentsummit.com/andy.htm
Andy Pojman, EdD
Andrew Pojman is a school psychologist in private practice at Oasis Center in Walnut Creek. He has extensive experience working with children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities and neurological disorders. Dr. Pojman was the Chief of Psychology at Gladman Psychiatric Hospital for three years as well as the Coordinator of the ADHD Program at Oak Grove Adolescent Treatment Center. He is a faculty member at JFK University and the Wright Institute teaching courses in assessment, psychopathology and child/adolescent treatment. In addition to doing individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and psychological testing, Dr. Pojman also consults with various agencies including The Center for Living Skills.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.cocopsych.org/secretary.html
Andy Pojman, Ph.D.
President Elect, Secretary
Psychological Practice: 1844 San Miguel Drive, #311, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-944-1800
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.ncgps.org/county_lists.php
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://users.mm2k.net/~remer/Troops.html
http://www.troop202bsa.org/
Troop 202
Jim Burell, Scoutmaster
Andrew Pojman, Chairman
Sponsored by St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Meets Tuesday at St. Pauls Church
Webpage: Troop 202
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.sterlingmagic.com/guest.html
Sent an email regarding status of linking safety pins trick
Andrew Pojman <picchipojman [at] worldnet.att.net>
Walnut Creek, CA USA - Wednesday, June 17, 1998 at 10:17:56 (PDT)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.wrightinst.edu/fa/m_p.html
Andrew Pojman, Ed.D.
B.A. Biology and Secondary Education, Adams State College, 1972
M.A. General Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 1975
Ed.D. School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 1977
Dr. Pojman is a psychodynamically oriented clinician with training and experience with a wide variety of patients in different clinical situations. Following his graduation, Dr. Pojman worked for three years as a school psychologist. He worked with handicapped children and adolescents with disabilities including mental retardation, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and psychotic disorders. Leaving the school district, Dr. Pojman entered into private practice and began consulting at local private schools and agencies. His experience at the Raskob Institute, a private facility serving learning-disabled adults and children, sharpened his diagnostic and clinical skills in evaluating the learning-disabled and neurologically handicapped. These work experiences have developed Dr. Pojman's skills in individual and group treatment and assessment of children and adolescents.
Since the early 1980s, Dr. Pojman has also maintained active professional involvement with psychiatric hospitals. This experience has included caring for both adolescent and adult patients in conjunction with a psychiatrist and providing inpatient care to adolescents as the admitting clinician. He was the Chief of Psychology at Gladman Psychiatric Hospital for three years. Duties involved proctoring individual psycholgists and serving as a liaison for psychologists to the medical staff and administration. Dr. Pojman went on to become the Coordinator of the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Program at Oak Grove Adolescent Treatment Center, where he developed a treatment program to provide specialized inpatient services for ADHD adolescents and their families. Currently he is active at Walnut Creek Hospital.
These experiences have helped form Dr. Pojman's clinical interests in the diagnosis and assessment of psychopathology, the treatment of children and adolescents, family therapy, and group therapy. Teaching and consulting to various agencies has allowed Dr. Pojman to develop and expand these interests even more. At the Wright Institute, Dr. Pojman teaches assessment. He also teaches courses in ADHD, adolescent treatment, and the diagnosis and assessment of psychopathology at John F. Kennedy University. He consults at WestCoast Children's Center on clinical issues related to group therapy with children and adolescents. He is also the clinical consultant to the Center for Living Skills, a private agency that provides specialized workshops on interpersonal development to schools and industry.
For more information:
http://www.adolescentsummit.com/andy.htm
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