Mental Disorders Case Study: Adacia Chambers

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Adacia Chambers, a 25-year-old woman who drove her grey Hyundai Electra into a crowd at the Oklahoma State University’s homecoming parade on October 24, 2015, killed four people as well as injured forty-six and according to court documents, she was not found to be intoxicated at the time of the incident. As reported by NBC News, “an application for psychology and crash reconstruction experts filed by Chambers' lawyer in Payne County Court revealed that Chambers' blood alcohol level was just .01 when her blood was drawn immediately after the crash” (NBC, 2015). Although she was not driving under the influence, Tony Coleman, Chambers attorney, believes she is suffering from a mental illness. In an ABC News article, Tony Coleman stated, “I have …show more content…
In an Inquisitor article, “of the 46 people hurt in the crash, one remains in critical condition, and that person’s condition may yet decline…if that victim were to pass away, Adacia Chambers could face a fifth murder charge” (Inquisitor, 2015). The fragile state of the injured person will potentially lead Chambers to be convicted on more charges, and she is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Payne County jail.
In Appendix B, Section 210.3 of the Model Penal Code, criminal homicide constitutes second degree murder when,
“it is committed recklessly; or a homicide which would otherwise be murder is committed under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance for which there is reasonable explanation or excuse. The reasonableness of such explanation or excuse shall be determined from the viewpoint of a person in the actor’s situation under the circumstances as he believes them to be” (Model Penal Code,
…show more content…
Getting laid off may have provoked her sudden and intense passion to commit this horrific act. The elements of the crimes will likely be proven by the prosecution because coping with the emotional impact of being laid off can be challenging and cause people to act in unreasonable ways. Receiving news about one’s lay off may be a stressful and overwhelming experience for the individual. This job loss may have a significant emotional impact on some people, while be a relief from a difficult job for others. The way an individual deals with a lay off varies from person to person, and Chambers unfortunately reacted by committing a heinous

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