Matrix defense
The Matrix defense is a
reality is a computer generation
and the real world is different from what reality is popularly perceived to be.
A defendant using this defense claims that they committed a crime because they believed that they were in a simulated world (the Matrix), and not in the real world. A defendant could allege they never intended death for their victim because they believed the victim to be alive in the other reality. This is a version of the
John Hinckley, one of the first defenses based on blurring reality with films.[1]
Regardless of whether the defendant believes that they were living within a simulated world, this defense has been used in cases where the accused were sent to mental-care facilities instead of prisons:
- Tonda Lynn Ansley of not guilty by reason of insanity using this defense after shooting her landlady in the head in July 2002.[2]
- Vadim Mieseges of San Francisco offered a Matrix explanation to police after chopping up his landlady, and was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.[2]
- Joshua Cooke's lawyers were going to attempt this defense in 2003 in his trial for the murder of his adoptive parents, before he pleaded guilty.[2]
- The case of
See also
- Affluenza defense
- Chewbacca defense
- King Kong defense
- Shaggy defense
- Simulated reality
- Twinkie defense
References
- ^ Bean, Matt (May 21, 2003). "'Matrix' Makes Its Way into Courtrooms as Defense Strategy". CNN. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Schone, Mark (November 9, 2003). "The Matrix Defense". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ "Profile: Lee Boyd Malvo". BBC. October 10, 2003. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-59555-152-8.
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