Cage fighter rips out still-beating heart of trainer

[wautd]

link

A California judge upheld charges of murder against a mixed martial arts fighter on Friday after the man allegedly cut the victim's heart out of his chest.

Mixed martial arts fighter Jarrod Wyatt, 26, was reportedly under the influence of psychedelic drugs when witnesses said he and his sparring partner, Taylor Powell, became preoccupied with the notion that the end of the world was near and that there would be a final struggle between God and the devil, the Times-Standard reports.

Del Norte County Police Sgt. Elwood Lee, who responded to the incident early March 21, said that Wyatt told him at the scene that he saw the devil in Powell's face and that "'Satan was in that dude.'" He allegedly cut an 18-inch hole in Powell's chest, removed his heart, cut his tongue off and removed a majority of Powell's face.

Lee also said that Wyatt admitted he had cooked the body parts in a wood stove at the Klamath residence because he thought that Powell was still alive and that he needed to "stop the devil."

"At one point," Lee said in court, "[Wyatt] asked if we were God, or if we were God coming to save him."

Detective Ed Fleshman, who testified that he spoke with Wyatt in a holding cell later that morning, said that Wyatt told him that he, Powell and two other friends had drunk hallucinogenic mushroom tea prior to the incident.

When one friend, Justin Davis, tried to leave the scene, Wyatt reportedly tried to stop him, saying that a tidal wave was coming. Davis left to go to nearby Crescent City but returned later to get his dog, when he saw a struggle ensuing in the living room and proceeded to call 911.

Wyatt's ex-girlfriend, Billy Jo Bailey, was also at the scene and said that she noticed a change in Powell's behavior after drinking the tea. Powell reportedly told Wyatt "You wanna f---ing die" three times before the two started to fight.

In addition to counts of aggravated mayhem and torture, Wyatt faces a first-degree murder charge in the incident. Whether the murder charge will stand, however, depends on premeditation -- whether Wyatt acted with "malice aforethought."

James Fallman, Wyatt's defense attorney, argued that Wyatt was having a psychotic break and therefore had no control over his actions.

"My client was trying to silence the devil," Fallman said.

However, prosecutors argue that the act of removing Powell's heart, tongue and face took enough time to prove evidence of intent.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... z0pbUvJyZn

Cut out his training partners' heart, cut out his tongue and ripped of most of his face... while his victim was still alive

[Shroom Man 777]

James Fallman, Wyatt's defense attorney, argued that Wyatt was having a psychotic break and therefore had no control over his actions.

"My client was trying to silence the devil," Fallman said.

That's just so terrible that I can't help but laugh.

Man, some guy goes shit crazy and rips another person's heart out, and the defense says that he was just "trying to silence the devil"?

Man, that's horrible though. At first I thought it was an Onion post, and I was expecting to read that the cage fighter did the heart-ripping with his bare hands just like Indiana Jones. Man.

[Oskuro]

Hey, I love that argument. Since he was under the effects of some evil hallucinogenic tea, he is not responsible for his actions! Yay! Because, man, he was totally forced to drink that tea, and can't be made responsible for that either.

In other words, the same bullshit we get with drunkards, but with more heart and face ripping.

[Garibaldi]

It's almost certainly enough to get him off the hook for premeditated murder, though.

[Kuroji]

James Fallman, Wyatt's defense attorney, argued that Wyatt was having a psychotic break and therefore had no control over his actions.

"My client was trying to silence the devil," Fallman said.

That's just so terrible that I can't help but laugh.

Man, some guy goes shit crazy and rips another person's heart out, and the defense says that he was just "trying to silence the devil"?

Man, that's horrible though. At first I thought it was an Onion post, and I was expecting to read that the cage fighter did the heart-ripping with his bare hands just like Indiana Jones. Man.

It's an insanity plea. A line like that could not be used for anything but.

I'm more interested in this tea they drank. They'll have to bring in some experts... but where the hell did they get it and if it had this sort of effect is it already illegal? If it is, insanity's not going to be a plea that can get him off.

[General Zod]

It's an insanity plea. A line like that could not be used for anything but.

I'm more interested in this tea they drank. They'll have to bring in some experts... but where the hell did they get it and if it had this sort of effect is it already illegal? If it is, insanity's not going to be a plea that can get him off.

Might not get him off, but it's the difference between Life and the Death Sentence. Last I checked California still has that on the books.

[Molyneux]

James Fallman, Wyatt's defense attorney, argued that Wyatt was having a psychotic break and therefore had no control over his actions.

"My client was trying to silence the devil," Fallman said.

That's just so terrible that I can't help but laugh.

Man, some guy goes shit crazy and rips another person's heart out, and the defense says that he was just "trying to silence the devil"?

Man, that's horrible though. At first I thought it was an Onion post, and I was expecting to read that the cage fighter did the heart-ripping with his bare hands just like Indiana Jones. Man.

It's an insanity plea. A line like that could not be used for anything but.

I'm more interested in this tea they drank. They'll have to bring in some experts... but where the hell did they get it and if it had this sort of effect is it already illegal? If it is, insanity's not going to be a plea that can get him off.

If it's not, though, then that opens up a couple of other questions. Is he unusually susceptible to violent hallucinations, or is that a known effect of the tea? Is there a reason why it isn't illegal? And if it isn't (and this kind of reaction was not known), then what exactly does that mean for his defense?

If he had no reason to expect this kind of effect from the tea, and was legitimately out of control of his own actions, what can he really be held responsible for?

[General Zod]

If it's not, though, then that opens up a couple of other questions. Is he unusually susceptible to violent hallucinations, or is that a known effect of the tea? Is there a reason why it isn't illegal? And if it isn't (and this kind of reaction was not known), then what exactly does that mean for his defense?

There's any number of hallucinogens that are legal, but I don't think we can say anything until they do a toxicology test on it or at least give more information about what the hallucinogen was.

If he had no reason to expect this kind of effect from the tea, and was legitimately out of control of his own actions, what can he really be held responsible for?

Involuntary manslaughter comes to mind.

[Illuminatus Primus]

This hallucinogenic tea thing kind of sounds like bullshit. Wouldn't that help the defense in arguing diminished capacity? Or not? If that is the case, I could easily see this guy being an overall roid-rage violence freak with psycho religious beliefs and a history of having a tenuous grip on reality who wants to blame it all on a once-in-a-life-time freakout caused by some shroom tea his friend gave him or some shit.

[Stofsk]

Hey, I love that argument. Since he was under the effects of some evil hallucinogenic tea, he is not responsible for his actions! Yay! Because, man, he was totally forced to drink that tea, and can't be made responsible for that either.

In other words, the same bullshit we get with drunkards, but with more heart and face ripping.

That is not what that means. Not being in control of your actions means diminished responsibility, not abrogated responsibility. There is no question he is going to be locked up for a significant amount of time, it's whether it'll be for the rest of his life or a decade or two, or whether he gets the chair.

[Edward Yee]

One thing I'm glad about -- this isn't the first place I've heard this unfortunately, but you guys haven't touched on the "cage fighter" bit at all.

[General Zod]

One thing I'm glad about -- this isn't the first place I've heard this unfortunately, but you guys haven't touched on the "cage fighter" bit at all.

Do I even want to know what people are saying about the "cage fighter" bit? Or is it something along the lines of "blah blah blah cage fighting is violent it was bound to happen blah blah"? Because with all the violent sports out there you'd think this sort of thing would happen more often if it was like that. If that's not what you mean though I'm not sure what you're referring to.

[Oskuro]

That is not what that means. Not being in control of your actions means diminished responsibility, not abrogated responsibility. There is no question he is going to be locked up for a significant amount of time, it's whether it'll be for the rest of his life or a decade or two, or whether he gets the chair.

I know, I was just taking the chance to take a shot at the "Don't blame him, he was drunk" attitude in society.

[Hawkwings]

This is Warhammer 40K type stuff, sheesh. Never thought I'd hear about this actually happening.

I'm gonna go with the "had problems beforehand" theory. The shroom tea just released the "tidal wave".

[General Zod]

This is Warhammer 40K type stuff, sheesh. Never thought I'd hear about this actually happening.

I'm gonna go with the "had problems beforehand" theory. The shroom tea just released the "tidal wave".

It's possible he was using very illegal hallucinogens, which are about the only type of thing that could explain this type of psychotic break and simply lied about using shrooms for whatever reason. I don't know of any kind of legal shrooms that would be this potent.

[Edward Yee]

Do I even want to know what people are saying about the "cage fighter" bit? Or is it something along the lines of "blah blah blah cage fighting is violent it was bound to happen blah blah"? Because with all the violent sports out there you'd think this sort of thing would happen more often if it was like that. If that's not what you mean though I'm not sure what you're referring to.

Yeah, just the whole associating MMA with violence outside of the ring/cage, especially when I understand that all he's done is a few regional fights; it's kinda like how there was an old Canadian article implying connection between MMA and organized crime... when most of the "gangstas" had just one fight (usually a loss?) on a local show, because being a "hard" man is harder than it looks.

In contrast, Lee Murray of south London just gotten 10 years in the pokey for masterminding the 2006 £53m Securitas robbery in Kent, England, but was much more deserving of being called "cage fighter," and at least fought in the UFC even once (a win, but his messier personal life pretty much prevented him from getting a visa to continue).

[TithonusSyndrome]

This is Warhammer 40K type stuff, sheesh. Never thought I'd hear about this actually happening.

I'm gonna go with the "had problems beforehand" theory. The shroom tea just released the "tidal wave".

It's possible he was using very illegal hallucinogens, which are about the only type of thing that could explain this type of psychotic break and simply lied about using shrooms for whatever reason. I don't know of any kind of legal shrooms that would be this potent.

What on earth are you talking about? If shrooms aren't legal in Canada, then I seriously doubt that any variety are legal in the United States whatsoever. Minor possession is legal in the UK simply because they've traditionally grown there and you can just say "oh I picked these in the woods for my salad", but there's no governing body for shrooms that regulates the psilocybin content and assigns legal or illegal status based on potency in any country I can think of.

[General Zod]

What on earth are you talking about? If shrooms aren't legal in Canada, then I seriously doubt that any variety are legal in the United States whatsoever. Minor possession is legal in the UK simply because they've traditionally grown there and you can just say "oh I picked these in the woods for my salad", but there's no governing body for shrooms that regulates the psilocybin content and assigns legal or illegal status based on potency in any country I can think of.

I was under the impression certain types of mushrooms were legal, but I must have been thinking of something like Salvia Divinorum. Oh well.

[TithonusSyndrome]

What on earth are you talking about? If shrooms aren't legal in Canada, then I seriously doubt that any variety are legal in the United States whatsoever. Minor possession is legal in the UK simply because they've traditionally grown there and you can just say "oh I picked these in the woods for my salad", but there's no governing body for shrooms that regulates the psilocybin content and assigns legal or illegal status based on potency in any country I can think of.

I was under the impression certain types of mushrooms were legal, but I must have been thinking of something like Salvia Divinorum. Oh well.

This kind of behavior is definitely not typical of your average shroom trip, but then again, I doubt most shroom trips take place under circumstances of highly adrenal competitiveness in a fighting culture with a strong emphasis on machismo that can all too often go hand-in-hand with insecurity. I took more than my fair share of zooms while I was an aimless itinerant wanderer and a lot of those trips were soul-shattering exposes into my fear of amounting to nothing; I can only imagine what kind of self-scrutiny this meathead was torturing himself with.

[aerius]

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!


Now that I've got that out of my system I'll be serious. My first thought was thank god that nutcase isn't in the UFC or one of the other major MMA organizations, cause the bad publicity from that would likely get MMA banned in North America. I also suspect the guys were boozing it up and mixing other drugs with their shrooms since that's usually how psychedelic shroom & acid trips turn violent.

[Molyneux]

If it's not, though, then that opens up a couple of other questions. Is he unusually susceptible to violent hallucinations, or is that a known effect of the tea? Is there a reason why it isn't illegal? And if it isn't (and this kind of reaction was not known), then what exactly does that mean for his defense?

There's any number of hallucinogens that are legal, but I don't think we can say anything until they do a toxicology test on it or at least give more information about what the hallucinogen was.

If he had no reason to expect this kind of effect from the tea, and was legitimately out of control of his own actions, what can he really be held responsible for?

Involuntary manslaughter comes to mind.

Yeah, I was thinking something like that - I don't think it would ever be reasonable to hold someone completely unaccountable for their actions, even if he had not had any reasonable expectation of this kind of effect from the tea.

[Edward Yee]

Now that I've got that out of my system I'll be serious. My first thought was thank god that nutcase isn't in the UFC or one of the other major MMA organizations, cause the bad publicity from that would likely get MMA banned in North America.

It does help that said use of drugs would have disqualified him from fighting in any U.S. state or Canadian province with an athletic commission, and fighters aware of the habit (besides reporting him) likely wouldn't have taken fights against him anyway.

[CaiusWickersham]

It's almost certainly enough to get him off the hook for premeditated murder, though.

Umm, no. At least not in Ohio. If you voluntarily take a drug and then commit an offense while under the influence, you can't claim diminished capacity from voluntary intoxication. We tend to view that as "taking the stuff to build up your nerve". Now if there was no reasonable expectation of the effects of intoxication (doubt it in this case), there may be a defense.

[adam_grif]

If this guy avoids the chair and gets locked up, that's some fucking insane prison cred he's got going for him.

What are you in here for?
Oh you know, I ripped a man's still-beating heart from his chest.

I'm also interested to know what, exactly, he was on when he did this.

[Edward Yee]

Whoops, I spoke too soon -- Bob Barr is citing the case. *Groan* And right when MMA sanctioning had just made it out of committee (Parks, Tourism, Sports Development) in NYS... (Has to be checked for legality/constitutionality by the Codes Committee, then finally voted on... whether or not the governor's budget, which itself also includes MMA sanctioning, is passed.)

I took more than my fair share of zooms while I was an aimless itinerant wanderer and a lot of those trips were soul-shattering exposes into my fear of amounting to nothing; I can only imagine what kind of self-scrutiny this meathead was torturing himself with.

Depending on who he was training with... I can actually see "fear of amounting to nothing" as what he might have been self-tormenting himself with, internally. To make it to the big time it seems that a fighter will usually need either a good-to-incredible work ethic, corresponding "natural" talent, or an focus/stubbornness bordering on "it can't happen to me!"-level denial of the possibility of failure. (Ironically, that "focused will" bit has proven detrimental to some fighters' personal lives/financial statuses, though fortunately an apparent minority.)