MURDER SUSPECT SAYS EVENTS RECALLED IN FLASHBACKS

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Taking the witness stand Thursday, Joshua Wolf said his memory of the events surrounding the May murder of his grandmother, Carol Lindley, remains unclear, coming only in flashes.

"I don't know what is going on anymore," Wolf said. "I wish this was a bad dream, but it's not. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what to do."

Wolf, 17, is on trial in Boone County on charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and second-degree arson. The case was moved from Cape Girardeau County.

The prosecution rested its case Thursday morning, the trial's third day. The defense took only about six hours to present its witnesses and evidence before resting.

Closing arguments will take place this morning. The case will then go to the jury.

Wolf's attorney, Stephen Wilson of Cape Girardeau, is seeking a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental defect.

To that end, Wilson called several mental-health experts who testified Wolf suffered a mental illness that rendered him incapable of controlling his actions or distinguishing right from wrong. The experts differed in their diagnoses of what that illness was.

Those conclusions contradicted the testimony of prosecution experts, who said Wednesday that Wolf didn't suffer from any mental defect that would prevent him from being held legally responsible for the crimes.

Boone County Circuit Judge Frank Conley reminded Wolf before taking the stand that he couldn't be compelled to testify. Wolf said he understood.

Contradictory testimony

Wolf sobbed and nervously tapped both legs as Wilson began his questioning. Many of Wolf's responses contradicted each other as well as those he made in a videotaped confession to police.

Wolf said he loved his grandparents, Carol and William Lindley, who had raised him as a son. He called them mom and dad.

Wolf and Carol Lindley, 56, had moved to the Cape Girardeau area just weeks prior to the murder. Lindley, who like her husband was raised in Southeast Missouri, had taken a good-paying job in the area. Bill Lindley was to temporarily remain in Columbus, Ohio, until he was eligible to retire from his job before joining the family.

Bill Lindley testified Wolf's mother, his daughter, had a history of mental problems and that similar problems had started to manifest in his grandson's behavior. Lindley said Wolf had still been a good kid despite his occasional problems.

"Josh has always been the type of person a father would be proud to call his son," Lindley said.

Wolf testified that months prior to the move he ran off with the family car and some guns to commit suicide. He said he dressed in a tuxedo "because I wanted to look good" when he did the job. His grandparents eventually located him, and he returned home unharmed.

Based on a variety of evidence, the prosecution put Lindley's time of death at between 3:43 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on May 6. Wolf said he had no clear recollection of events that transpired between May 5 and May 8.

"I know what happened by reading reports and listening to people, but I don't know for sure," Wolf said.

On the day of the murder, Wolf said he experienced hallucinations. "I know I was looking at mirrors and thinking I was the devil," Wolf said.

After taking a nap, Wolf said he woke up with a ringing in his ears. He said the next thing he remembers is a rifle in his hands.

"I felt like I was hunting in West Virginia," Wolf said.

He said he didn't clearly recall firing the weapon. Lindley was killed with one shot to the head.

Wolf said he did remember driving around town afterward, going to the bank and using Lindley's ATM card to withdraw money, and purchasing a car stereo system, which he installed himself. He said he had little memory of the next day.

Two days after the murder, a Monday, he said he "woke up and everything seemed fine." Wolf said he believed he would be moving back to Columbus and went to school at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School in Jackson, Mo., to turn in his books.

During cross-examination, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle attacked Wolf's credibility.

Accused of lying

"You are a habitual liar, aren't you?" Swingle asked.

Wolf responded: "I don't know the answer to that anymore."

Wolf said he didn't recall a variety of statements he had made to police and doctors.

Under Swingle's questioning, Wolf did admit to setting fire to his home at 175 Piaute Lane on May 8 to cover up the murder.

"I burned down the house intentionally," Wolf said. "I knew I did that; I'm not denying that."

Swingle asked about statements Wolf made to police that Wolf had engaged in intercourse with the corpse. The body was too badly burned for forensic investigators to determine if that had occurred.

"It possibly happened," Wolf said. "I don't know for sure, though."

Dr. Patricia Carter, a psychologist, evaluated Wolf at Spirit of St. Louis Hospital. Wolf was taken there after a suicide attempt at the juvenile detention facility in Cape Girardeau.

Heard voices

Carter testified Wolf claimed to have heard voices ringing in his ears the day of the murder saying "kill, kill, kill."

Carter rendered a diagnosis of psychotic disorder not otherwise specified. She also said he suffered from post-tramautic stress disorder. Carter said her report on Wolf indicated "he was competent to participate in legal proceedings but noted he was not responsible for his actions."

Dr. James Powers, a clinical psychologist at Spirit of St. Louis, said Wolf was a paranoid schizophrenic and was incapable of distinguishing right from wrong.

Dr. Veera Reddy, Wolf's psychiatrist at Biggs Forensic Center in Fulton, Mo., said Wolf suffers from bipolar disorder. Wolf has been incarcerated at the center, a maximum security state mental facility, while awaiting trial. Reddy made no comments concerning whether Wolf was responsible for his actions.

Dr. William Logan, a forensic psychiatrist hired at $200 an hour to evaluate Wolf and testify at the trial, offered the same diagnosis as Carter. However, unlike Carter, Logan said Wolf's condition only prevented him from being in control of his actions at the time of the murder. The fire, he said, was a conscious attempt to cover up a crime.

Swingle methodically attacked all of the defense experts' testimony, save that of Reddy's.

Carter admitted that Wolf made no mention of hearing voices until she evaluated him.

Powers said he was not aware of the evidence gathered by police showing Wolf engaged in normal activities beginning little more than an hour after the murder and over the next couple of days.

Logan admitted that he met Wolf for the first and only time just seven days before the trial and had only spent about 20 hours on the case, including his court testimony and travel time.

Swingle repeatedly brought up that all of the defense experts had evaluated Wolf in circumstances where Wolf knew he was being evaluated, insinuating that Wolf was acting.

The state's psychiatric evaluation was conducted over a period of weeks. In addition to personal interviews, the evaluation also included observation of Wolf via closed circuit camera without the teen's knowledge.

Dr. Jerome Peters, the psychiatrist leading that evaluation, testified Wednesday that Wolf was responsible for his actions. Peters said Wolf did suffer depression, but that condition stemmed from his incarceration following the crimes.