Jury Rejects Zoloft Defense
Posted on June 14, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
A former Marine and police detective who blamed the antidepressant Zoloft for his behavior was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a waitress at gunpoint in a brutal and senseless attack.The jury will now have to decide whether 32-year-old Anthony Nicolas Orban was sane at the time of the attack. The sanity phase of the trial begins on Tuesday.
English: A package of branded Zoloft 100 mg (sertraline HCl) Svenska: Zoloft 100 mg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Orban always maintained that he had no recollection of the incident. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to eight counts, including kidnap and rape. If he is found to have been sane when the crime occurred, he could face a life prison sentence. If he is found to have been insane, he will be sent to a mental institution for treatment.
The defense team claimed that Orban suffered a psychotic break from reality because he was taking Zoloft. Orban was on Zoloft for about six months, but stopped taking the antidepressant. He stated taking his medication again not long before the attack. The defense argued that Orban was unaware of his actions. He was supposedly unconscious when he committed the crime on April 3, 2010.
The prosecution argued that the off-duty police officer, who had been drinking, used his service weapon to force the woman to drive from a parking lot at Ontario Mills to a self-storage facility in Fontana where he sexually assaulted her and showed a gun in her month. The gun, which had his name on it, was left in her car.
The woman, who was only 25 when she was brutally attacked, testified that Orban did not appear disoriented or unconscious as he sexually assaulted her. During the attack, Orban also choked her, punched her and even took pictures of her.
Orban’s best friend, Jeff Jelinek, broke the bro code and testified against him. Jelinek was with Orban during the kidnapping and picked him up after he raped the woman. In a plea deal with San Bernardino County prosecutors, Jelinek got a get-out-of-jail-free card. He pleaded no contest last year to being an accessory, false imprisonment and assault.
Zoloft isn’t responsible for Orban’s behavior. Orban made the decision to kidnap and rape the young Inland Empire woman. Orban committed this heinous crime because he believed that he was above the law and that the rules don’t apply to him. The fact is that a lot of police officers think they’re above the law and that the rules don’t apply to them. Now he must be punished for his crime and do hard time in prison.
Although people who take psychiatric medication can exhibit unusual behavior, it is unlikely that these drugs will ever cause someone to commit a serious crime. These drugs, however, can cause serious birth defects. If you or someone you love was taking Zoloft or any other psychiatric medication while pregnant and the child was born with a birth defect, you may want to contact a personal injury lawyer. A professionally trained injury lawyer can determine if you have a case and help you collect compensation.
