Mental exam request for man charged in murder case faulted

PARIS – An attorney for the man charged with savagely murdering four people over Labor Day weekend is opposing the state’s request for its own psychiatric evaluation of the suspect.

The state’s request for an exam of Christian Nielsen would violate Nielsen’s constitutional rights against self-incrimination, to a fair and speedy trial and to due process, attorney Margot Joly wrote in a document in Oxford County Superior Court.

In its motion, the Attorney General’s Office said it wants its own expert to examine Nielsen because his attorneys had hired a psychologist for the same purpose and may use insanity as a defense.

But Joly said that’s not a valid argument, and that a mental exam on behalf of Nielsen’s defense has not been done because prosecutors have not provided details of their investigation.