Andrew Urdiales Andrew Urdiales, a former Marine and Gulf War veteran, was sentenced to death by a Livingston County jury for the 1996 murder of 21-year-old Cassandra Corum of Hammond, Ind. Urdiales was previously sentenced to die in 2002 for the murders of two Chicago-area women, but that sentence was commuted to life in prison when former Gov. George Ryan cleared death row in 2003. The Urdiales case fits several patterns identified by the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment, which published a two-year study outlining the flaws in the death penalty and the larger criminal justice process. Most notably, Urdiales had a history of serious mental health problems, which were ultimately rejected as mitigating factors. Both the prosecution and defense conceded that Urdiales had a difficult childhood of physical abuse and neglect. His oldest brother was killed in Vietnam when he was just 3-years-old, driving his mother into withdrawal. Urdiales was later sexually abused by his sister, and further bullied, taunted and teased growing up. Urdiales spent 90 hours with Veteran's Administration counselors from 1991 to 1996 dealing with his anger and depression that stemmed from his ill-fated childhood. Urdiales' lawyers believed that he suffers from mild bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and "deficits" of brain activity that affect his judgment. A physician testifying for the defense said that the cortex of Urdiales' brain is smaller than the normal brain, and that he has lost a lot of brain tissue. The state, however, maintained that Urdiales does not have an organic brain disorder, but rather suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and an unspecified personality disorder that impairs his relationships. Psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz said that Urdiales is simply a sexual sadist who hates women. In the decision that ultimately came down to experts vs. experts, Judge Harold Frobish rejected Urdiales' insanity defense and his attempt to plead guilty but mentally ill. Urdiales became the third person sentenced to death in Illinois since Gov. Ryan's commutations. ©2003 Illinois Coalition to Abolish The Death Penalty |
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