State v. Crenshaw

The defendant, Rodney Crenshaw, was convicted of the first degree murder of his wife, Karen Crenshaw, to whom he had been married only a few weeks. He appeals, having pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to the charge below.

The defendant, who was 28 years old at the time of the offense, has a history of mental problems. He was hospitalized in his home state of Texas 15 times between 1970 and 1978, where he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic, paranoid type.

The couple married on August 10, 1978, in Texas and went to Canada. While there, the defendant became involved in a…