Mitchell v. State

OPINION

By the Court,

Gibbons, C. J.:

In this appeal, we principally consider whether the district court violated appellant Donald Mitchell’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when the court ordered him to undergo a compulsory psychiatric examination after he claimed that he justifiably fired in self-defense because his post-traumatic stress disorder caused him to suffer from a heightened threat perception. We conclude that Mitchell’s Fifth Amendment rights were not violated because he placed his mental state directly at issue. Concluding otherwise would permit him to enjoy…