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Expert: Convicted child rapist, killer is psychopath

Expert: Convicted child rapist, killer is psychopath | iNFOnews.ca
After a brief recess Donald Smith reenters the courtroom with his handcuffs and shackles removed and replaced with a leg brace under his jail uniform prior to the jury being seated Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, in the courtroom of Judge Mallory Cooper in Jacksonville, Fla. After being found guilty in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle, the trial of Smith continued into the death penalty phase Tuesday. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP A

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A neuropsychologist has told jurors that a man convicted of abducting an 8-year-old girl from a Florida Wal-mart and then raping and murdering her is most certainly a psychopath.

The Florida Times-Union reports Joseph Sesta, who has worked extensively with violent sexual predators, testified in a Jacksonville courtroom Wednesday in the penalty phase for 62-year-old Donald Smith.

Jurors took less than 15 minutes last week to convict Smith of the 2013 death of Cherish Perrywinkle. The jurors returned this week to decide whether Smith should be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison.

Sesta and other experts called by the defence all said Smith’s brain is far from normal and he lacks control over his impulses. He also was described as callous, uncaring, manipulative and lacking empathy.

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

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