By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
Aaron Norman Dunn is a possible sociopath who had a copy of the Satanic Bible in his car when he went on a killing spree in Elk Grove four years ago, a prosecutor said today.
Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett made the remarks in a heated exchange with the judge in Dunn's death-penalty murder trial about the prosecutor's impending cross-examination of a defense psychiatrist.
Dr. Douglas Tucker of UC San Francisco testified Monday that Dunn, 33, suffered from "methamphetamine psychosis" when he shot and killed two people during his March 25, 2006, rampage.
Defense attorney Amy Rogers told jurors in her opening statement that the drugs prevented Dunn from forming the intent to kill and that he shouldn't be convicted of anything more than second-degree murder.
Triplett said today he wants to ask Tucker, whom the prosecutor characterized as "a joke," if he explored other possible mental conditions that might have affected Dunn. Among the ones mentioned by the prosecutor: anti-social personality disorder and intermittent explosive disorder.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet said he was all in favor of a "full-throttled" cross-examination on the prosecutor's part. But Sweet told Triplett he risked a possible mistrial if he delves too far into some areas such as Dunn's criminal background that the judge excluded in pretrial motions from the jury's consideration.
Besides the different psychiatric maladies, Triplett said he also wants to ask Tucker if he knew that Dunn had the Satanic Bible in the trunk of his car the night he shot and killed Michael John Daly, 45, and Jon Johnson, 46, and whether it might have affected his diagnosis.
Sweet said it "might be a stretch" to connect the Satanic Bible to the Elk Grove killings, but the judge did not specifically bar it.
The book was written in 1969 by an author named Anton Levay. According to gotquestions.org, the Satanic Bible is a collection of essays on satanic "rituals and ideology" that reflect Satan as "a symbol of struggle against a tyrannical God."
The prosecutor argued that the defense introduction of Tucker's psychiatric testimony opens the door to cross-examining him with evidence of Dunn's criminal record that included a lengthy stint in the old California Youth Authority as a youth and that he also abused animals.
Triplett's cross-examination of Tucker is expected to take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1079.
Previous coverage:
Meth psychosis cited in killings; defendant's words cast doubt - April 6, 2010
Elk Grove cop testifies how she and partner stopped deadly rampage - March 17, 2010
Witnesses tell of lives shattered in deadly Elk Grove shooting spree - March 12, 2010
Prosecutor, defense attorneys agree suspect killed two people in Elk Grove - March 10, 2010
Elk Grove residents eligible for murder case jury - Dec. 11, 2009
Prosecutor's bid for Placer DA could stall trial for double killing - Dec. 2, 2009
Homicide suspect's lawyers don't want any Elk Grove jurors - Aug. 11, 2009
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