David Lynn Jordan

Case overview

David Lynn Jordan was convicted in a 2005 shooting rampage at a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) facility in Jackson, in West Tennessee. The shooting killed his estranged wife, Donna Renee Jordan, and two other people: David Gordon, a delivery company worker from Jackson, and Jerry Wayne Hopper, an employee of the Tennessee Division of Forestry. Jordan also shot and injured two other TDOT employees, James Goff and Larry Taylor.

A jury sentenced Jordan to death for each of the first-degree murders and to prison terms for noncapital offenses. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the three death sentences.

Timeline

• January 10, 2005 — Jordan telephoned TDOT mechanic Johnny Emerson and left threatening messages involving Donna Renee Jordan.
• January 11, 2005 — Jordan shot at the TDOT facility in Jackson, killing Donna Renee Jordan, Jerry Wayne Hopper, and David Gordon, and injuring James Goff and Larry Taylor.
• December 14, 2004 — Donna Renee Jordan hired Linda Sesson Taylor, an attorney in Jackson, to represent her in divorce proceedings against Jordan.
• January 11, 2005 — A jury returned verdicts of death for the first-degree murders after deliberations.
• September 22, 2010 — The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision upholding Jordan’s convictions and death sentences.
• September 25, 2006 — Jordan was sentenced to death.
• September 27, 2011 — The Tennessee Supreme Court set Jordan’s execution date.

The offence

Targeting and killings at the TDOT facility

On January 11, 2005, Jordan killed three people at a TDOT facility in Jackson. The facility included an office called “the crow’s nest,” where Donna Renee Jordan worked. Jordan shot Donna Renee Jordan in the office after calling her name to get her attention.

Jordan also killed Jerry Wayne Hopper, who was in the office with Donna Renee Jordan at the time of the shooting.

After leaving the office, Jordan shot and killed David Gordon, a motorist who followed Jordan to the TDOT facility after Jordan ran Gordon off the road. When Gordon accosted Jordan about the incident, Jordan removed a high-powered assault rifle from his truck and shot Gordon 13 times.

During the incident, Jordan shot and wounded two other TDOT employees: James Goff and Larry Taylor.

Witness descriptions and sequence of events

Witness testimony described Jordan arriving at the TDOT garage, pushing people out of his way, and moving upstairs to the crow’s nest. Witnesses reported that Jordan fired multiple gunshots, including handgun shots and shots with a fully automatic high-powered assault rifle.

• James Goff testified that Jordan appeared about 6 feet away and shot Donna Renee Jordan in the chest and fired additional shots, including what appeared to be a shot to the forehead; Jordan then shot Hopper.
• Larry Taylor testified that Jordan pulled his coat back, brandished a weapon, took a “police stance,” and shot Donna Renee Jordan with multiple gunshots, then shot and left the crow’s nest.
• Reserve sheriff’s deputy and TDOT mechanic Fred die Ellison testified that he observed Jordan with two semi-automatic handguns and that he saw David Gordon pull up and announce that “the guy in the red pickup truck has run over me,” followed by “automatic” gunfire.
• TDOT employee David Pickard testified that Jordan smelled of alcohol, shoved him and Randy Perry, and then went upstairs to the crow’s nest where he shot Donna Renee Jordan.
• TDOT employee Alvin Harris testified that he saw Goff bleeding and that Taylor told him that Jordan had been shot and was “gone.”
• EMTs and medical personnel testified about the victims’ condition and treatment attempts, including that Gordon was not breathing initially and that Hopper was pronounced dead at 12:34 p.m.

Threats and communications before the shooting

The trial evidence included threatening statements and voicemail messages involving Jordan and Donna Renee Jordan. The prosecution’s theory was that Jordan decided to murder his wife because he believed she was having an affair with a co-worker, Johnny Emerson, and because she told him she wanted a divorce.

Johnny Emerson testified that he was a mechanic at the TDOT garage where Donna Renee Jordan worked and said their relationship was “just real good friends,” with physically limited conduct. Emerson testified that Donna Renee Jordan was talking about getting a divorce. Emerson also testified that Jordan telephoned him and told him he was “too old” for Donna Renee Jordan and that he “needed [his] ass whooped.” Emerson said he was on medical leave and was not at work on January 11, 2005.

Linda Sesson Taylor testified that Donna Renee Jordan hired her on December 14, 2004 for divorce proceedings, and she also prepared paperwork to obtain a restraining order. Taylor identified a page from her phone message book indicating that Donna Renee Jordan called her office on January 11, 2005 at 9:56 a.m. about an uncontested divorce.

Investigator Jeff Shepherd testified that he retrieved and recorded voicemail messages left on Donna Renee Jordan’s cell phone. The messages included:

• 10:48 p.m. on January 10, 2005 — “You're the only asshole on the face of this earth that I truly hate”
• 2:11 a.m. on January 11, 2005 — “I'll see you at work, bitch”
• 2:17 a.m. on January 11, 2005 — “I hope you go to work tomorrow, bitch, ‘cause you'll be there one day. It may not be tomorrow, but I will catch up with your raggedy ass. Your day is coming.”
• 2:19 a.m. on January 11, 2005 — “You home wreckin’, low life, sorry mother fuckin' bitch. Your ass is gonna pay.”

Investigators and witnesses also described Jordan threatening conduct at other times. For example, Kevin Deberry testified that Donna Renee Jordan called him on the night of January 10, 2005 and was upset with Jordan. Deberry said that about an hour later Jordan came to his house, asked Deberry to take Donna Renee Jordan’s dog and get a house key, and threatened that if Deberry did not take the dog, “he ‘was gonna take it over there and shoot it in the driveway.’” Deberry testified that Deberry noticed what he believed to be a “snub-nose .38” and that Jordan told him, “better watch [his] back, you never kn[o]w which way the bullets are gonna fly.”

Investigation and arrest

Vehicle pursuit and custody

Multiple officers testified about the pursuit and apprehension of Jordan following the TDOT shooting and an earlier hit-and-run accident involving a green four-door vehicle.

Jackson Police Sergeant Mike Thomas testified that he received a call about the shooting and that he was advised the suspect had a machine gun. Sergeant Thomas observed a red Mazda pickup truck matching the description and began pursuit. He testified that the truck ran a stop sign, then marked patrol units joined the pursuit, and Officer Maxwell’s cruiser was hit during a partial roadblock. Sergeant Thomas testified that the suspect was taken into custody and that a search of Jordan’s person revealed a loaded .45 caliber pistol and a loaded nine-millimeter pistol. A search of Jordan’s truck revealed a rifle and a shotgun.

Jackson Police Officer Ted Maxwell testified that he managed to stop Jordan by ramming the front of his vehicle. Maxwell said he noticed a gun in the small of Jordan’s back under his belt and that Sergeants Sain and Thomas removed two handguns from him. Maxwell described the firearms as an Intra Arm Star .45-caliber semi-automatic with a clip containing six live rounds and one live round inside the chamber, and an Intra Arm Star nine-millimeter semi-automatic with a clip containing two live rounds and one live round in the chamber. Maxwell testified that eight .45-caliber and nineteen nine-millimeter rounds were recovered from Jordan’s pockets.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant Johnny Briley testified that he initially received a call about a hit-and-run accident on Lower Brownsville Road at Anglin Lane involving a red Mazda pickup truck, then received another call about the shooting at the TDOT garage. Briley stopped at the scene after learning of multiple victims and that Jackson police officers had pulled over the suspect vehicle. Briley said he knew Donna Renee Jordan and her family for thirty years and also knew Jordan. Briley testified that Jordan told him, “She fucked me over, Johnny,” and Briley responded, “No, she didn't, David.” Briley testified that he detected an odor of alcohol on Jordan’s person.

Jackson Police Officer Rodney Anderson testified that, while officers were transporting Jordan to the Criminal Justice Complex, Jordan told them: that he could have cut the police in half with his weapon, that he had full auto, that his wife was dead and “full of holes,” and that she drove him crazy by “fucking around on him.” Jordan also said he advised that he shot her with her brother’s gun, asked how many people were hurt, and said his wife “hurt him and tore his heart out” and that he had been “going crazy” for a month.

Evidence collected

Sergeant Mike Turner testified that he collected evidence from Jordan’s red Mazda pickup truck. He described items including a loaded Norinco SKS 7.62 assault rifle with twenty-six rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, a black bag containing a large quantity of assorted ammunition, a loaded Mossberg twelve-gauge shotgun with two rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, loose ammunition, a 7.62 magazine with fourteen rounds of ammunition, two spent 7.62 casings, and a .38 special caliber Winchester spent casing.

TBI Agent Scott Lott testified that agents executed a search warrant at Jordan’s house on January 11, 2005. Agents recovered items including a Thompson Center Firearms .50 caliber muzzle loader, a Montgomery Ward 30/30 rifle, a Remington 20-gauge pump shotgun, a Remington 30.06 rifle, a Remington Caliber .243 rifle, a Ruger .22-caliber rifle, a Savage Firearms .22-caliber rifle, a Ruger .44 magnum rifle, a Springfield .410-gauge shotgun, a Pioneer 750 .22-caliber rifle, a Bauer Firearms .25-caliber automatic handgun, and a .38 Special revolver, and five live rounds of Winchester .38 Special ammunition, along with a trigger group assembly.

Agent Cathy Ferguson testified that she responded to the scene, found Donna Renee Jordan lying in a large pool of blood that contained brain matter, and assisted with CPR for Jerry Hopper. Ferguson testified that she recovered evidence from inside the crow’s nest and outside the garage, including nine-millimeter and 7.62 shell casings, bullet fragments, and a note on which Grimm had written Jordan’s license tag number. She testified that fifteen 7.62 shell casings were recovered from the exterior crime scene and four from inside the crow’s nest, and that nine nine-millimeter shell casings and one live nine-millimeter round were found inside the crow’s nest.

Ballistics expert TBI Agent Shelly Betts testified that she examined evidence collected in the case, including a 12-gauge shotgun, a Norinco SKS rifle, a Star .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and an Inter Arms Star nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. Betts testified that the safety feature functions on the SKS rifle had been converted to fire in fully automatic mode. She testified that she found modifications to the weapon’s trigger housing assembly so the weapon would fire continuously once the trigger was pulled. She testified that tests determined cartridge cases recovered from the crime scene had been fired from the SKS rifle and that nine-millimeter cartridge cases had been fired from the Star nine-millimeter pistol. Betts testified about projectile identification and described that the 7.62 rounds found in the bodies were hollow point bullets. Betts also testified about the SKS-type detachable magazine and that it holds approximately 31 rounds.

Notes found during the investigation

Madison County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Chad Lowery testified that, shortly after Jordan was apprehended, he went to Jordan’s home and found a loaded pistol on top of the refrigerator and several other weapons. Lowery testified that on the kitchen counter he observed a handwritten note stating: “Renee got what she deserved. Bitch. I'm sorry. I love you. Thanks for being so good to me. Love you Shelby, Sydney, Deanna. Thanks, Mom and Dad. You did all you could.”

Dr. Staci Turner’s autopsy testimony also stated that two notes were found in Donna Renee Jordan’s clothing, both addressed to her. Turner testified that one note was signed, “Your faithful faithful worried David,” and the second note was signed, “Your forgiving husband, David Lynn Jordan.”

Medical evidence and autopsies

David Gordon

Dr. Herbert Lee Sutton testified that he treated David Gordon at the hospital and described severe internal injuries, stating: “[T]he blast injury from what he was shot with had almost morselized his intestines. It was like soup. And I'm quite sure even if I had stopped him from bleeding and he had regained everything, he probably wouldn't have had any small intestine left from what I could see.” Dr. Sutton testified that Gordon died at 12:47 p.m.

Dr. Amy R. McMaster testified that she performed the autopsy on David Gordon and testified that Gordon had been shot at least 13 times. McMaster testified that the projectiles recovered were consistent with a 7.62 millimeter round, and she concluded that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

James Goff

Dr. Sutton testified about James Goff’s injuries, including a wound to the neck that “went anterior to the trachea and the carotid vessels which are the main vessels that go [ ] to his brain.” Sutton testified that the bullet did not hit any major arteries or veins. Sutton testified that Goff remained hospitalized until January 13, 2005.

Larry Taylor

Eric Leath testified about the EMS response and described a man lying on the floor and a woman with a massive injury to her head. Dr. James testified that he treated Larry Taylor and that Taylor had suffered gunshot wounds to both of his upper legs.

Donna Renee Jordan

Dr. Staci Turner testified that she performed the autopsy on Donna Renee Jordan. Turner testified that Jordan had been shot eleven times, resulting in wounds to the head, torso, and right leg. Turner testified that injuries included wounds to the scalp, the skull, bones of the face, the brain, multiple ribs, the right lung, the diaphragm, the liver, the right kidney, the stomach, the small intestine, the urinary bladder, and the uterus. Turner testified about bullet fragments and that the wound to the forehead was fired from a handgun within a foot of the body. Turner testified about a bullet in a partial exit wound and stated the bullet was a Black Talon-type bullet “one fired from a handgun.”

Turner testified that other fragments were identified as coming from a high-powered assault rifle and described that those wounds went through multiple ribs, right lung, diaphragm, liver, and kidney, into the spinal column and lodged in back muscles with fragments scattered throughout organs. Turner concluded that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

Jerry Wayne Hopper

Dr. Amy R. McMaster testified that she performed the autopsy on Jerry Hopper. McMaster testified that Hopper had multiple gunshot wounds and multiple abrasions and lacerations. She testified that Hopper had a gunshot wound to the right wrist and two gunshot wounds to the right side of his abdomen and that she recovered two projectiles, describing them as large caliber deformed hollow point bullets consistent with a nine-millimeter weapon. McMaster concluded that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

Defendant’s statements and forensic issues

Statements to investigators and spontaneous statements

During booking and investigation, Jordan made statements attributed to him by officers and investigators.

Investigator Tyreece Miller testified that he interviewed Jordan at approximately 3:35 p.m. on the day of the shooting. Miller testified that Jordan waived his right to an attorney and volunteered to speak, asked how many people he had shot, and asked if Donna Renee Jordan was dead.

Investigator Miller testified that Jordan provided a urine sample and consented to give a blood sample drawn at approximately 9:50 p.m. Miller testified that Jordan said he consumed approximately five shots of vodka but was “not under the influence.” Miller testified about Jordan’s statement including extensive details about the relationship history and Jordan’s description of loading firearms, leaving a note, driving to TDOT, broad-siding a green car, shooting Donna Renee Jordan, shooting a man he thought was James Goff, and using the SKS fully automatic rifle to shoot the driver of the green car. Jordan’s statement included the following verbatim passage, among other details:

I've been married to Renee Jordan for five years. She has a son named Tyler Surratt. He is my stepson. She has a daughter named Sydney Jordan. She is my daughter also by Renee. I have three others by two other women who are my former wives. Back in the summer 2002, Renee's son Tyler molested my daughter, Shelby Jordan. He was 10 years old and she was 8 years old at the time. [Department of Children's Services] was involved, and Tyler had to go to counseling. On December the 11th, 2004, Tyler was in Lindsey's bedroom. He was lying on his back and he had something in his hand. He was playing with Lindsey. He was trying to let her get whatever it was out of his hand, but he had a tight grip on it. She was reaching for it. He would let her grab his hand, and then he would pull her across his body. He didn't know it, but I was watching him. It looked like he was pulling her across his penis. I saw him do this three times before I stopped him. I went in the room. I cursed him. I told him that I was going to stick my foot up his ass if he ever touched one of my daughters again. I left and went deer hunting. When I got back, Renee was on the phone with some man. My mother showed up, and Renee left and never came back home. We did spend Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and this past Sunday night together. Back in September 2004, Renee started having an affair with Johnny Emerson. He works in a building where she works. He works in the shop and Renee works in the office․ I found out about their affair in October. She admitted to it and I forgave her. This morning I woke up and had no intentions of hurting Renee. She called me from work. I was at home. She was acting like a bitch. I had been begging and bending over backwards to make this work up to this point. She unexpectedly told me that me and my daughters from another marriage have until the first of February to get out of her house. She said that she was going to see her lawyer tomorrow and she was going to have me evicted․ Renee hung up on me before I had a chance to say a word. This made my blood boil. I started loading my guns. I loaded my 12-gauge shotgun, a Star .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun and an SKS fully automatic rifle with a folding stock. I put a 33-round clip in it. I left a note on the counter stating that if something happens to me, I love my mother, father and four daughters. I didn't know if I was going to do anything to Renee or not. I was thinking more of killing myself. I got in my 1991 Mazda truck, red, and I was going to Renee's workplace at TDOT. On the way there I broad-sided a green four-door vehicle. I was going down Anglin Lane. I was driving fast and couldn't stop soon enough. I T-boned the green car that was going down Lower Brownsville Road. I didn't stop. I went on up to TDOT. I pulled up to where Renee works. I left the 12-gauge and the SKS in the truck. I had the .45 in a holster on my hip, the nine-millimeter was in my back. I walked in the office. Renee said, “What the fuck are you doing here?” She was sitting in the chair at her desk. I didn't say a word to her. I pulled out the .45 and I shot her in the leg. I shot her in the leg because I wanted her to look at me. She hollered. The guy that was sitting in the corner got up and came at me. I shot him and he fell to the floor. I think he was James Goff, but I'm not sure. I heard him moaning. Larry Taylor was in the office. I patted him on the back with the pistol and told him that he needed to get out of there. He left. I looked back at Renee, and she was already dead I think. I can't remember if I had shot her more than just in the leg. I remember the last time that I shot her was in the top of the head with the .45. I didn't want to shoot her in the face. I walked back out to my truck and I saw the guy in the green car that I had hit. He was parked behind me. I got in the truck. He was pointing his finger and coming at me. I grabbed the SKS and I fired it at him. He went to the ground. I don't remember going back to the office with the SKS, but if there was a shell casing there, I must have fired it in the office. I got in my truck and left. I had intentions of killing myself when I got back home, but the police hit me head on. I have made this statement openly and freely. I have not been promised anything, and I have not been threatened in any way. I am sorry that this happened. Renee didn't deserve to die.

Alcohol and drug testing

TBI Special Agent John W. Harrison testified that he analyzed Jordan’s urine and blood samples. Harrison testified that the blood sample taken at 9:50 p.m. showed “no alcohol present,” and that the urine sample taken at 3:35 p.m. showed .17%. Harrison testified that if alcohol was consumed earlier and the blood sample was taken later, alcohol could have metabolized by that time. Harrison also testified that all the samples were preserved “for a period of time and then destroyed.”

TBI Agent Kelly Hopkins testified that a drug screen on urine and blood samples showed urine positive for Citalopram and benzodiazepines, and that the blood sample was positive for Citalopram but negative for benzodiazepine. Hopkins testified that after ingestion, drugs go into the bloodstream and later metabolize in urine, and she testified that the blood sample was destroyed on January 3, 2006.

Trial

Verdicts

The jury convicted Jordan of first-degree premeditated murder of Donna Renee Jordan, first-degree premeditated murder of Jerry Wayne Hopper, first-degree felony murder of Jerry Wayne Hopper, first-degree premeditated murder of David Gordon, first-degree felony murder of David Gordon, attempted first-degree murder of James Goff, aggravated assault of James Goff, attempted first-degree murder of Larry Taylor, aggravated assault of Larry Taylor, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The trial court merged the felony murder and premeditated murder convictions for Hopper into a single first-degree murder conviction, and similarly merged felony murder and premeditated murder for Gordon into a single first-degree murder conviction. The trial court also merged the aggravated assault convictions with the attempted first-degree murder convictions.

Sentencing

The jury sentenced Jordan to death for each of the first-degree murders.

• The trial court sentenced Jordan to twenty-five years for each attempted murder conviction, to be served consecutively, and to thirty days for the misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident.
• A sentencing hearing for the noncapital offenses was held at a later date, and the court ordered the two twenty-five-year sentences served consecutively to produce an effective fifty-year sentence.

Penalty phase issues and appeal

Tennessee Rule of Evidence 615 / witness sequestration

The Tennessee Supreme Court addressed whether witness sequestration under Tennessee Rule of Evidence 615 applied strictly in capital sentencing trials.

The defense sought to exempt Jordan’s family members from witness sequestration so they could attend the trial and later testify at sentencing. The trial court denied the request, forcing Jordan’s family members to choose between attending the trial and testifying at sentencing. Jordan’s parents chose to attend the trial, and therefore were not permitted to testify at sentencing.

The Tennessee Supreme Court held that the trial court erred in applying the rule of witness sequestration strictly and deprived Jordan of presenting mitigation evidence at his capital sentencing hearing. The Supreme Court stated:

“in a capital sentencing proceeding, trial courts must carefully evaluate any and all proffered mitigation evidence, utilizing any applicable Rules of Evidence only as guidelines rather than as mandatory strictures.”

The Supreme Court also held that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because the jury heard “the essence” of what Jordan’s parents’ testimony would have provided, through other witnesses. The Supreme Court held that Jordan was not entitled to a new sentencing hearing because his parents were not allowed to testify.

Prosecutor’s closing argument referencing “angel of death”

The Tennessee Supreme Court found error in the prosecution’s sentencing-hearing argument referring to an “angel of death” and a “death angel” who wrote down aggravating circumstances. The Supreme Court held that the prosecutor’s repeated references were inappropriate, and quoted the core problem as:

“the repeated references to an angel acting as a messenger [for the death penalty] were inappropriate,”

but it found the error did not affect the outcome and did not entitle Jordan to a new sentencing hearing. The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and death sentences.

Public trial issue

Jordan argued that the strict application of Rule 615 compromised his right to a public trial. The Tennessee Supreme Court held that the error in rigidly applying the rule in sentencing did not violate the right to a public trial.

Legal outcome and Supreme Court affirmance

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision upholding Jordan’s convictions and three death sentences. The Supreme Court also determined that the death sentences were not imposed arbitrarily, were supported by evidence, that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the death sentences were not excessive or disproportionate.

The Supreme Court set the execution date for September 27, 2011, unless otherwise ordered.

Aftermath and additional appeal matters described

The Tennessee Supreme Court stated that Jordan’s convictions and sentences were affirmed, including all three death sentences. It also referenced additional issues raised that were not addressed in the opinion: including sufficiency of evidence for convictions; failure to videotape Jordan’s statements; destruction of Jordan’s urine and blood samples; admission of photographs; jury instructions regarding aggravators outweighing mitigators; and the constitutionality of Tennessee’s lethal injection procedure and protocol. The Supreme Court stated it affirmed the Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision as to these issues as well.

Additional quotations included in the proceedings

The prosecution and defense quotations during the sentencing phase included the following quotations read by defense counsel to the jury:

• “The quality of mercy is not strained. It falls like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”
• “It is twice blessed. It blesses him that gives and him that receives.”
• “It's the mightiest in the mighty. It becomes the throned monarch better than [h]is crown. His scepter shows the force of earthly power, the tribute to [h]is awe and majesty.”
• “Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings. But mercy is above this sceptered way. It is enthroned in the hearts of kings. It is a tribute to God himself.”
• “Earthly power shows most like God's when mercy seasons justice.”

The prosecutor referenced Jordan and stated:

“And ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm going to suggest to you that there was another angel involved in this situation, and that angel is the angel of death.”

and

“The angel of death went into that crow's nest a few hours before Renee came to work, and a few hours before Jerry Hopper just happened to need to have his state truck serviced that day, and just a few hours before Mr. Gordon was involved in an auto accident.”

The prosecutor also stated:

“and wrote down the aggravating circumstances that occurred on or about 11:30 a.m. on the birthday of Renee's father.”

The defense’s PowerPoint mitigating presentation by Dr. Dennis W. Wilson included the statement attributed to him:

“Confinement is-No one will ever have to worry about him doing something like this ever again, and even inside the prison system, he's likely to have a calming effect․ And importantly, he will be punished for what he did.”

Dr. Wilson also testified:

[Defendant] has a major depressive disorder, recurrent episodes. It was moderate over his lifespan. He had generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse and a borderline personality disorder. This is by definition someone who has a hard time maintaining interpersonal relationships, dealing with problems, coping with stress.

and

At the time of the crime, it is my opinion that he was intoxicated with alcohol, and it is my opinion, I believe, that he was also intoxicated with anxiolytics which was the Xanax.

Dr. Matthews’s rebuttal testimony included a reported characterization:

“I don't want to rot in prison. I should have killed myself when the police stopped me. I hope I get the death penalty.”