State v. Coogan

Charles Coogan appeals a conviction on two counts of first-degree murder and an order denying a new trial. Coogan was convicted of killing two men during a 1979 robbery of a Chippewa County bar. He claimed at trial to remember little or nothing of the incident. While in prison, Coogan underwent psycho therapy. He now presents evidence, brought out under hypnosis, that at the time of the killings he was having flashbacks and believed he was in a combat situation in Vietnam. He also seeks to present expert testimony diagnosing his condition as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lay…